Governance Studies

Governance Studies at Brookings

Dating back to Brookings’s founding in 1916, the Governance Studies Program at Brookings is one of the world’s most recognized and respected research programs, focused on governance challenges in the U.S. and around the world, major policy issues, and political institutions. In addition, our scholarship evaluates trends in public opinion and political process, and offers ideas on institutional reform to ensure better governance.

Viewed as a premier, independent voice in the domestic policymaking sphere, Governance Studies is home to two research centers: The Brown Center on Education Policy and The Center for Technology Innovation.

The program’s key objectives include:

  • Provide policymakers with expert analysis, cutting-edge research and policy ideas to ensure better institutional governance.
  • Improve the performance of the national government to benefit all people.
  • Inform policy debates and impact legislation and executive actions.

As a locus for information and analysis on current and emerging issues, Governance Studies’ research and expertise covers a wide array, including:

  • The Brown Center on Education Policy: Conducts research and provides policy recommendations on topics in education.
  • The Center for Technology Innovation: Helps shape public debate on technology innovation and develops data-driven scholarship to enhance understanding of technology’s legal, economic, social, and governance ramifications in the U.S. and around the globe.
  • Issues in Governance Studies: Papers from Governance Studies that evaluate the strength of political processes and civic and governing institutions.
  • Issues in Technology Innovation: A paper series that seeks and analyzes public policy developments in technology innovation to enhance the understanding of technology’s legal, economic, social, and governance ramifications.
  • Harvard Law School-Brookings Project on Law and Security: Explores the challenge of creating laws tailored to fighting terrorism in the twenty-first century
  • Examining each of the following areas of vital national concern with the goal of establishing an agenda for institutional reform in the U.S. and globally:
      • Budgeting for the future
      • Investing in manufacturing and critical infrastructure
      • Filling vacancies in the executive and judicial branches; reforming the presidential appointment process.
      • Reducing political polarization through redistricting
      • Employing strategic communications for public diplomacy
    • Reforming the U.S. House and Senate; filibuster abuse.
    • Understanding leadership in the modern age.
    • Fostering public participation in the redistricting process.
    • Promoting sound technology innovation policies.
    • Exploring the intersection of religion, policy, and politics.
    • Forging a coherent strategy toward trying and detaining terror suspects, researching legal architecture of the War on Terror as it develops into case law.
    • Researching education reforms such as school choice, teacher evaluation systems and class size.
    • Exploring the electoral, partisan, and economic conditions that underlie efforts by Congress and the president to reform the powers and governance of the Fed.
    • Analyzing cybersecurity and cyber-espionage threats; online privacy in a digital world.
    • Examining the judicial selection and confirmation process.
    • Understanding federalism in the modern age.

    Our Staff
    The program is directed by Darrell M. West. Learn more about who we are by visiting our Expert pages.

    Ashley Bennett, Foundation Relations Officer | email
    Joshua Bleiberg, Research Assistant
    Robert (Bob) Brier, Director of Finance and Administration | email
    Korin Davis, Special Projects Coordinator
    Courtney Dunakin, Development Director | email
    Ashley Gabriele, Research Assistant
    Michael Gallaher, Research Analyst, Brown Center
    Anna Goodbaum, Project Assistant
    Ashley Inman, Brown Center Communications Manager
    Chstine Jacobs, Communications Director
    Ritika Singh, Research Assistant
    Beth Stone, Website and Digital Media Coordinator
    Ross Tilchin, Project and Research Assistant
    Elizabeth Valentini, Assistant to the Vice President and Director
    Raffaela Wakeman, Special Project Manager
    Sarah Whitfield, Brown Center Coordinator