IDDP Awards Research Grants to Advance Understanding of Data, Democracy, and AI |
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IDDP is proud to announce this year’s Research Grant Winners, whose work explores some of the most pressing questions at the intersection of technology and democracy. From AI governance and digital authoritarianism to political behavior, representation, and public trust, these projects reflect the depth and urgency of today’s research landscape. We congratulate GW faculty members Jasmine Carrera Smith, Julian Wamble, Susan Aaronson, Marc Lynch, and Y. Tony Yang, and look forward to sharing insights from their work in the months ahead.
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Adam Berinsky in Conversation with IDDP Co-Director |
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How should we think about misinformation in today’s rapidly evolving information landscape and can tools like AI actually help address it?
In this conversation with IDDP's Director Ethan Porter, Adam Berinsky, MIT’s Mitsui Professor of Political Science shares insights from his research on misinformation. Having studied misinformation for decades, he reflects on what interventions can and cannot achieve and why there are no simple solutions.
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Highlights from the conversation
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Q: The world has changed profoundly, and so has our understanding of misinformation. What does misinformation look like today, and how has our approach to it evolved?
A: One major shift is in how we fight misinformation. In the past, people relied on fact-checkers and trusted institutions to correct false information. Today, many of those institutions no longer hold the same credibility for large parts of the public.
That makes misinformation harder to address. The challenge is no longer just identifying what is false, but also determining who we still trust enough to believe as a credible “voice of truth.”
Q : Will AI help debunk conspiracy theories and misinformation?
A: AI could help debunk conspiracy theories and misinformation, particularly through interactive AI chatbots that engage users in multi-phase conversations. Rather than simply presenting corrections, these systems can guide users through discussions over time, which may have a stronger impact on changing beliefs and addressing false information.
Q: Can you explain precisely the misinformation problem that needs to be solved and why we need to solve that problem?
A: In a democracy, communication between political elites and ordinary citizens has to happen on common ground. The problem with misinformation is that it breaks down that shared understanding. If we want communication to function in a democratic society, we really need everyone to be on the same page.
Watch full interview below.
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Designing the Future of Digital Regulation |
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In recent years, academics, advocates, and policymakers have proposed or discussed the need for a new digital regulator (NDR) – a new agency of the federal government that regulates the AI and social media industries, with a particular focus on market competition, data privacy, and transparency & safety. IDDP researchers, in collaboration with researchers from other academic and stakeholder institutions, documented over 20 academic papers and studies, think tank reports, books and parts of books, essays and op-eds, and pieces of legislation that propose such agencies or analyze such proposals.
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In February, 2026, the Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at George Washington University and the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator hosted many of the experts who authored those proposals for a day-long summit to discuss the need for an NDR and open questions related to the design and scope of the agency. Informed by those discussions, a research agenda was developed that outlines questions that merit additional research attention. The research agenda was published on the IDDP website in March 2026 and the team hopes this work inspires additional scholarship on these critical issues.
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Youth Voting Rights: Civil Rights, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, and the Fight for American Democracy on College Campuses |
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In January 2026, IDDP hosted an engaging book discussion with Jonathan Becker, Yael Bromberg, Esq., and Michael Nojeim, who shared valuable insights on the legal, institutional, and civic dimensions of youth voting rights, and the continued importance of college campuses as spaces for democratic engagement.
Their book, Youth Voting Rights: Civil Rights, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, and the Fight for American Democracy on College Campuses, examines how student activism and litigation have been used to resist voter suppression and expand access for young voters. Through case studies of Tuskegee University, Prairie View A&M University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Bard College, the authors highlight how college communities have shaped the right to vote in the U.S.
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Food for Thought Series Launched |
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IDDP launched its Food for Thought seminar series during the 2026 spring semester. This series is designed to spark curiosity and conversation, and brings together faculty and IDDP affiliates who want to share their research with The George Washington University community. Each session highlights innovative work and invites open, candid discussion across disciplines.
This semester, IDDP had the privilege of hosting two seminars. One session welcomed Jennifer Victor, Associate Professor of Political Science at George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government who explored the ways in which democracy is defined and measured, how the U.S. stacks up, what explains the U.S.’s current status, and where we go from here. The second session welcomed Adam Berinsky, Mitsui Professor of Political Science at MIT, who explored a critical question: Is there actually a way to stop misinformation? He unpacked why efforts to combat misinformation often fall short and what it actually takes to make progress. Rather than searching for a single “silver bullet,” he made the case for combining targeted, practical interventions to build more resilient information ecosystems. Stay tuned for upcoming sessions in the upcoming fall semester.
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Fostering Scholarship Through Micro-Sabbaticals |
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This semester, we had the privilege of hosting two distinguished scholars as part of our Micro-Sabbatical Program; Jennifer Victor, Associate Professor of Political Science at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, and Adam Berinsky, Mitsui Professor of Political Science at MIT. During their time at IDDP, they engaged with GW faculty and students, contributing to a dynamic exchange of ideas and research.
Here’s what they had to say about their experience:
Jennifer Victor, "The micro-sabbatical program was a perfect fit for me and my project. My time at IDDP was highly productive and the staff and faculty were very welcoming."
Adam Berinsky, “My micro- sabbatical at GW was fantastic. I got great feedback on a couple of projects through the seminars and I had plenty of time to make progress on ongoing work”
IDDP will open applications for the 2027 Micro-Sabbatical cohort in Fall 2026. Stay tuned for the announcement.
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Digital Threats & Disinformation in Asia |
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On June 4, 2026 we convened scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from the foreign policy and diplomatic community for a timely discussion on digital threats and disinformation across Asia.
The event explored a range of challenges shaping the region's information environment, from traditional influence operations and public diplomacy to the growing role of AI. We were honored to feature presentations from leading researchers, including Samantha Custer, Kazutoshi Sasahara, Joshua Tucker, and Hannah Waight, followed by engaging panel discussions with contributions by Heidi Holz, Rajeshwari Majumdar, Jae Yoon Jung and Steven Lee Myers.
Among the topics discussed was new research examining how state control of media ecosystems can shape the information available to large language models, raising important questions about AI, information integrity, and the future of knowledge production.
Thank you to all who joined us for a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation on one of the most consequential issues facing democracies today.
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