Honors College 2025 Day 3: Policy, Practice, and the Persistence of Democracy
Honors College 2025 Day 3: Policy, Practice, and the Persistence of Democracy
This is the third story in a series of blog posts written by the Fisher Family Honors Program class of 2026 detailing their experiences in Washington, D.C., for CDDRL's annual Honors College.
We began our Wednesday with a visit to the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank whose research aims to inform both domestic and global policy. We had the chance to sit down with three distinguished experts on American politics and governance: Molly Reynolds, Vanessa Williamson, and Elaine Kamarck. I, along with the rest of the cohort, was eager to ask questions! We discussed ponderings about the resilience of American democracy, the role of taxation and the IRS, and emerging political strategies for the midterm elections. The experts dissected the recent changes in American political institutions and explained why a historical understanding of the executive-legislative dynamic is important when analyzing the current political landscape. It was one of our most substantive and informative conversations yet.
After a quick break, we traveled to the Center for Global Development (CGD), where we met with Leah Rosenweig, Charles Kenny, Janeen Madan Keller, and Han Shen Chia. This session highlighted different perspectives on U.S. global development, from global health to the role of artificial intelligence in development. A key theme was the challenge of how the world could make more impact with fewer resources, and how development organizations should identify which problems they are best positioned to address. The speakers emphasized that global challenges — whether in health, governance, or technology — are deeply complex and thus require context-specific and results-oriented solutions.
For me, these conversations offered a wake-up call about the practical constraints of policymaking. At Brookings, we learned about how scholars wrestle with the realities of different segments of American politics. At CGD, the experts explained the thought processes pervading the ever-changing world of global development. I came away with a clearer sense that institutions are not just abstract entities but consist of individuals responding to global change. The day deepened my appreciation for the bridge between research and practice — how ideas move (or sometimes don’t) in real policy spaces — and reminded me of the importance of action-oriented policy conversations.
~ Shayla Fitzsimmons-Call
In the afternoon, we headed to the new offices of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). There, we met with the Chief of Staff, Jean Schidler, and Dr. Cassandra Emmons, the global democracy data advisor. IFES’s main mission is to help “build resilient democracies that deliver for all.” Part of that mission means helping countries from around the world plan and administer elections, supporting democracy activists in their fight for a more just electoral system. We heard about what it is like to work in potentially unstable areas and regions of conflict, where free and fair elections are far from guaranteed. Dr. Emmons also talked about civic education and the importance it plays in ensuring that there is public support for quality elections. Given that we heard from an elections expert at the OAS earlier in the week, it was interesting to hear about election processes from a different angle. Both IFES and OAS have similar missions, to ensure that elections are free, fair, and not rigged by wannabe authoritarians; however, each organization plays a different role in that support of democracy, whether it be monitoring elections as they happen or helping write constitutions to guarantee healthy elections moving forward. Schidler also noted the importance of the perception of election credibility and how necessary it is for the public to have confidence in the electoral process. Even if an election is perfectly run, if no one trusts that it was conducted properly, it will carry no legitimacy. Every individual voter needs to feel that their vote matters and that the system is operating in a way that reflects that. This meeting made me think a lot about the intersection between the government and nonprofit world, since IFES reflects a bit of both. Thanks to this trip, I now have a much better understanding of the diversity of organizations within the public sector.
After departing from IFES, we walked south to the National Mall and the Lincoln Memorial. There, we read the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, which are displayed in stone carvings on both sides of the Memorial. Professor Stedman then led us in a discussion about what these speeches represent, both as snapshots of a particular chapter of this country’s history and as artifacts for what Abraham Lincoln wanted his Presidency and that moment to be remembered for. Both of these short speeches have contributed to the trajectory of American democracy and demonstrate how crucial history is in forming our perspective about the present. While the Lincoln Memorial is certainly a must-see for any group of tourists visiting Washington, D.C., spending time actually contemplating and discussing the words inscribed in it was immensely thought-provoking and definitely a highlight of the week. Seeing all of these institutions up close and personal gave me a new sense of awe for our democracy, and that even when the system is under strain, there are still people working hard to keep it going.
~ Ben Kinder
