Government Works Weekly #66
Jobs, Events, and a Valentine for Utopians
Welcome to your weekly roundup of opportunities, events, and information about how government works—and how government can work better—to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities.
If you find this newsletter useful, please consider sharing with friends or colleagues who would also benefit.
Scroll down all the way for 21 upcoming events and 126 jobs and opportunities to help government work…
This week we passed 2,000 subscribers here on Substack and 10,000 followers on the affiliated LinkedIn page. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
I would like the momentum going, so please reach out via the DMs here or on LinkedIn if you would like to co-author or guest author a piece for the readers—or if you have good jobs, events, research, or writing to share with our growing community.
EYES & EARS – reading, podcasts, and other good stuff
I don’t know if it’s Trump’s terrible polling or excitement about Zohran making government cool again (rizz-sponsible governance?), but folks seem to be moving beyond protesting to actually start planning for a post-Trump future.
I have noticed two clusters of work in this regard:
Landscape analyses of the destruction wrought to functioning government by Trump and DOGE in the last year, along with short- and medium-term plans to *ahem* build back better.
More utopian, future-oriented efforts to re-order around a longer-range vision for government, along with possible paths to get there.
Over the next couple of weeks I will share some of the recent initiatives, events, essays, and other links roughly bunched into these two categories, although some efforts may overlap the short- and long-term horizons.
This week I will take on the latter category because I find it a little more exciting.
VISION BOARDING - dreamers building toward a brighter future
It sometimes seems like people use the word utopian almost dismissively, as if thinking about an idealized future isn’t realistic or useful. But I think it can be. And there have been an abundance (excuse the word) of articles, events, and even jobs lately about how to expand our conceptions and expectations of government through stories about a brighter future. Here are some of them:
Future State. Loren DeJonge Schulman, who is doing great work on state capacity with the Federation of American Scientists, recently launched a LinkedIn newsletter called Future State, which is billed as a “weekly brief for the policy entrepreneurs, the government nerds, the institutional rebels, and the civic thinkers.” Sign me up!
You can check out the latest issue “Future States #005: The Operating System of Ambition (or, Bureaucracy: where our greatest hopes and dreams reside): where Schulman introduces a new initiative from FAS, Center for Regulatory Ingenuity, and it sounds like something pretty aligned to this blog:
The FAS Center for Regulatory Ingenuity (CRI) is building a new, transpartisan vision of government that works – that achieves ambitious goals while adeptly responding to people’s basic, everyday needs.
That’s Interesting. On 22 January, Gideon Lichfield (of the excellent and well-named Futurepolis Substack) hosted an event called “Making Democracy Interesting: Tips from TV, Podcasts, Science Fiction, and Online Creators” at Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. The event (video), which featured a great mix of creative folks trying to figure out how to tell “positive, compelling stories about democracy,” is well worth your time.
Dream Weavers. On 2 February, the Public Policy Lab hosted an event called “How do Public Sector Innovators Dream of New Futures?” (video available at link), which builds on a 23 January blog post by PPL executive director Chelsea Mauldin called “Dreaming as Practice”. I wholeheartedly share in the sentiment shared by Mauldin here:
To do this work in the public interest, with and for our neighbors and fellow citizens, we have to make our dreams shareable. We have to invite others into the belief that public systems can be designed differently and better. Public-interest innovation is, at its core, a collective capacity to dream and build a more humane social compact.
In Harmony. In January, Democracy 2076 and Harmony Labs released a report on “The Power of Story to Grow Democracy,” the second phase of a project to “understand how entertainment media shapes people’s understanding of democracy, and find ways to tell better stories about democracy.” A recording of the research briefing is available here. I am fascinated by the work that Democracy 2076 is doing.
Without long-term thinking in the U.S. democracy field, we are ill-prepared for the changes that will impact America in the coming decades; we must build our democracy proactively… Democracy 2076 thinks on a 50-year time horizon and, in doing so, removes the constraints to feasibility that are invoked with a near-term, crisis response focus.
What’s Next? In January, DemocracyNext held an event to discuss its recently-released report on “Scaling Democratic Innovations: Features of Effective Catalyst Organisations & Future Frontiers” that looked at ways to spread and sustain deliberative practices to create a more resilient democracy. For more, check out the video and highlights from the report launch event.
Get Onboard. Heck, there was even a position for Associate Director, Democratic Futures with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research listed down below in the International Jobs section of this newsletter a few weeks ago. I am curious to see if there will be more jobs like this out there going forward.
Coming Up. The Creative Bureaucracy Festival (11 June) is holding a Digital Kick-Off from 3-5 March 2026. A couple of events look well aligned to this theme, such as “Futures Served: A Collaborative Storytelling Game” or “Co-creating Tomorrow with RIL’s AI: Systemic Innovation for Resilient Cities” or “How Futures Take Shape: Contextual Dilemmas in 2040 Berlin.” Other events focused on the future in the near future include:
At the end of March, the Better Society Academy is hosting a 3.5 day class for “Changemakers Building Future-Proof Cities.”
In July, there will be a “Future of Us” festival in San Francisco to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States with an eye “to shape our democracy’s next chapter.”
Please Continue. Here are a few more good pieces that point toward the future:
“The Venetian Option: A speculative history of post-Trump democracy,” Quico Toro, One Percent Brighter, 25 January 2026.
“Imagining Institutions as Living Systems: From Control to Collective Adaptation,” Naeema Zarif, Field Notes on Global Belonging, 4 February 2026.
“Innovation needs a darker imagination,” Ashleigh Axios, Design Observer, 30 January 2026.
“An Invitation to a New Civic Future,” Connective Tissue, 10 February 2026.
“New year, new era of government reform,” Max Stier, Partnership for Public Service, 9 February 2026, describing the new Government for a New Era initiative of the Partnership.
“The Long-Term Futures Work of Building a Better Democracy,” Aditi Juneja, Nonprofit Quarterly, 29 January 2026.
“Let Cities Build Utopia—new drop! My deep dive on the future of cities is now available as a print pamphlet, digital pamphlet, and audio essay,” Elle Griffin, Elysian, 10 February 2026.
“Who Decides the Question Decides the Future,” Stefaan G. Verhulst, Medium, February 2026. Verhulst writes:
In the end, the future of democratic governance may depend less on how well we compute answers, and more on how deliberately we choose the questions that guide us there.
EVENT HORIZON – webinars, conferences, and other human things
WEEK OF 16-20 FEBRUARY 2026
17 FEB: AI for Social Good: Impact that Works: IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 [J-PAL]
17 FEB: Civility Unbound: NYC Launch Event [NYU]
17 FEB: Culture, Mindsets, and Democracy: Navigating a Changing Landscape (Briefing #10: Use of Force) [FrameWorks]
18 FEB: The Latest CBO Baseline: What It Says and What It Means [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget]
18 FEB: Screening for SNAP work requirements using human-centered design [Code for America]
18 FEB: FedSupport Webinar – Town Hall: Breaking Down the New Schedule Policy/Career Rule [Partnership for Public Service + Civil Service Strong + Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense + AFGE]
18 FEB: Democracy on the Line: The Trump Administration’s Egregious Attacks on the Freedom of the Press [CAP]
18 FEB: Democracy Innovation Academy: Can Democracy Evolve? [Democracy Innovation Hub]
18 FEB: A New Age of Nations: Power and Advantage in the AI Era [RAND]
18 FEB: AI and State Data: Understanding the Risks and Rewards with the Data Integration Support Center [States for the Future]
18 FEB: The State of Civil-Military Relations in 2026 and Beyond [Carnegie Endowment]
19 FEB: How Authoritarians Weaponize Gender [Carnegie Endowment]
19 FEB: European Democracy Support Annual Review [European Democracy Hub]
19 FEB: Focusing on What Matters: How Democrats Can Connect With America [CAP]
19 FEB: Building Resilient Workforces Through Place-Based Economic Policy [Bloomberg Center for Cities]
19 FEB: FOI Fest 2026 [FOI Network]
19 FEB: Citizen Participation in troubled times: Ensuring Impact through Quality [Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany + FIDE - Europe + Network on Citizen Participation and Deliberation in Europe]
19 FEB: Establishing an Alternative Response Program in your City [Government Performance Lab]
20 FEB: Digital Democracy from Below [UVA Digital Technology for Democracy Lab]
20 FEB: Mexico’s Electoral Reform-What’s at Stake [Inter-American Dialogue]
20 FEB: Venezuela Series Session 2: Power, Politics and the Region [Truman National Security Project]
APPLY YOURSELF – jobs, internships, and other ways to get involved
POLICY + PROGRAM
Manager, Federal Data Policy, Federation of American Scientists [D.C.]
Policy and Research Analyst (Evidence Policy), Data Foundation [D.C.]
(Senior) Federal Policy Analyst/Advisor, Recoding America Fund [D.C.]
Associate, Procurement Innovation, Partners for Public Good [Remote]
Chief Administrative Officer, U.S. House of Representatives [deadline 6 Mar.
Research Director and VP for Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships, Democracy Revival Center [priority deadline 25 Feb.]
Executive Director, Vote Rev [via NRG]
Senior Director, Campaigns, Run for Something
General Counsel, Democracy Fund
Senior Staff Attorney, Election Protection Hub, Public Rights Project [Remote]
Senior Policy Manager, Anti-Corruption and Accountability and Senior Policy Manager, Media and Technology, Common Cause
Senior Counsel, Court Accountability [deadline 22 Feb.]
Chief Counsel, Demand Justice
Education Policy Analyst, National Assessment Governing Board [deadline 27 Feb.]
Research Partner, Keseb Democracy Innovation Lab [deadline 20 Mar.]
Research Manager, Clean Slate Initiative [Remote]
Research Assistant - Qualitative (Health Policy Division), Urban Institute [D.C.]
Vice President, Policy, Evergreen Action [Remote]
Senior Manager, Policy & Advocacy, National Endowment for Financial Education [Denver]
Multiple Positions, CREW [D.C.]
Deputy Director of Voter Engagement, Common Defense [deadline 20 Feb.]
STATE + LOCAL
Voter Protection Director, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party
Political Associate, Fund for States [Remote / via GainPower]
Senior Associate, State Health Solutions, Pew Charitable Trusts [D.C.]
Associate, State Campaigns, Share Our Strength
Communications Director, Progress MO [Missouri]
Voting Rights Field Organizer, ACLU Kansas [Overland Park]
Electoral Program Manager, ACLU of Washington [priority deadline 20 Feb.]
State Director, Illinois, Common Cause
Campaign Operations & Communications Manager, VOICE – Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement
Policy Director, REPRO Rising Virginia [Hybrid / Richmond or Alexandria]
Organizing Strategy & Innovation Program Director, Movement Innovation Collaborative [California]
Senior Fiscal Policy Analyst, Office of the Chief Financial Officer [Washington D.C.]
Policy and Research Analyst, The Office of the Child Advocate [Commonwealth of Mass.]
COMMS + OPS
Communications & Media Director, Court Accountability [deadline 1 Mar.]
Director of Communications, Demand Justice
Director of Communications, States United
Manager or Senior Manager of Media Relations, Democracy Defenders Action [D.C.]
Digital Content Manager, Ocean Conservancy [Remote]
Communications Specialist, Legal & Regulatory, Environmental Defense Fund [D.C. preferred / Remote possible]
Senior Communications Director, Nonhuman Rights Project [Remote]
Director, Narrative & Culture, National Immigration Law Center [Remote / L.A. or D.C. preferred]
Associate Media and Digital Communications Officer, ACLED [Remote]
Relationship Coordinator, Civic Match and Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Work for America
Development Associate, Project On Government Oversight [Remote]
Development Coordinator, Zinc Collective [Remote]
Development Manager, GGWash – Greater Greater Washington
Grants & Contracts Manager, Clean Slate Initiative [Remote]
Membership Coordinator, Local Progress [Remote]
Senior Vice President, People, Equity & Inclusion, Common Cause
MEDIA
Investigative Reporter, Minnesota Star Tribune
Freelance Editor, State Political Team and More, Courier [Remote / part-time]
Social Media Editor and More, Democracy Docket [Jersey City or D.C.]
Staff Writer, Immigration, Marshall Project
Director, Audience & Marketing, Rewire News Group [Remote]
Data Reporter and More, ProPublica [Remote]
Managing Editor and More, City Cast DC
ACADEMIA
Director, American Democracy Project, American Association of State Colleges and Universities
Multiple Positions, Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence [Johns Hopkins University]
Assistant Vice President, Governmental Affairs (Higher Education Policy), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities [D.C.]
Postdoctoral Associate, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service [New York University]
Research Analyst, Global Poverty Research Lab [Northwestern University]
Academic Director/Professor of the Practice of Public Administration and Public Policy and Data Analytics, School of Professional Studies [Wake Forest University]
Operations and Events Coordinator, Greater Good Science Center [UC Berkeley]
Research Manager, Development Innovation Lab [University of Chicago]
Special Projects Coordinator, Center for Education Policy Research [Harvard Graduate School of Education]
Strategic Data Project (SDP) Fellowship Application, Center for Education Policy Research [Harvard / deadline 18 Mar.]
Associate Data Scientist, Center for Research in Education and Social Policy [University of Delaware]
Policy Officers (Two Positions), Global School of Sustainability at LSE [deadline 22 Feb.]
Staff Attorney, Technology Law and Policy and More, Policing Project at New York University School of Law
TECH + DATA + DESIGN
Can’t do any better than this week’s edition of #PublicSectorJobBoard, which you should be following anyway if you are looking for these kinds of jobs. But here are a few more:
Chief Technology Officer and More, Code for America [Remote]
Data Operations and Insights Coordinator, Work for America
IT Administrator, Common Cause
Cost Recovery Program Manager and More, U.S. Digital Response
(Senior) Programs Associate, Institute for AI Policy and Strategy [deadline 8 Mar.]
Policy Associate, SaferAI
Associate Director, Data Engineering and Reporting, PPFA [NYC / D.C.]
Campaigns Data Director and More, DCCC [Hybrid D.C.]
Director, Office of Data Analytics, Metrics and Compliance, State of Maryland [deadline 24 Feb.]
Policy Advisor, Maryland Department of General Services [deadline 27 Feb.]
Chief Technology & Enterprise Services Officer, State of Vermont Agency of Digital Services [deadline 19 Feb.]
Head of Product Management, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania [deadline 17 Feb.]
Senior Advisor, Technology & Innovation, City of New York
Data Strategist, Senior Program Manager, Movement Innovation Collaborative [California]
Solutions Technologist, Digital Investigations Lab, Human Rights Watch [Deadline 1 Mar. / Various intl. locations]
INTERNATIONAL
Senior Global Advisor, Digital Democracy, International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Research Coordinator, Transparency International [Hybrid / Berlin]
Protection Policy and Advocacy Adviser, Norwegian Refugee Council
Deputy Director, Network of European Foundations [deadline 20 Feb.]
Policy and Research Officer (Political and Congressional), The Embassy of Ireland, USA [20 Feb.]
External Communications Advisor, IPPF [deadline 26 Feb.]
Research and Communications Officer, CIVICUS [deadline 23 Feb.]
High Seas Program Manager, Bloomberg Ocean Fund [deadline 16 Feb.]
Senior Communications Specialist, Europe, Environmental Defense Fund [deadline 14 Feb.]
Director, Global Plastic Policy & Corporate Engagement, World Wildlife Fund [D.C.]
Program Manager (Türkiye) and Program Manager (Pakistan) and More, Lead Exposure Elimination Project
INTERNSHIPS + FELLOWSHIPS
Digital Government Internship, OECD Public Governance [deadline 15 Feb.]
Summer Internships, Migration Policy Institute [deadline 15 Feb.]
FirstGen Advocacy Intern, National Immigration Law Center [Remote / L.A. or D.C. preferred]
Comms Internships, National Conference of State Legislatures [deadline 20 Feb.]
Multiple Internships, Democracy Defenders Action
2026 Summer Internship Program, DCCC [D.C.]
Summer 2026 Internship and Fall 2026 Internship, Niskanen Center [D.C.]
Legal Fellow (Election Protection), States United
Criminal Justice Innovation Fellow, Arnold Ventures
CONSULTANCIES + OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Rising Stars Mentorship Program, People Powered [deadline 27 Feb.]
Call for Proposals: Research Report Stipends, IBM Center for The Business of Government [deadline 2 Mar.]
RFP: Social Media Creative Strategist, Work for America
Consultancy: Final evaluation of the Project “Clean Money in Elections”, Transparency International [deadline 3 Mar.]
Consultancy: Research consultant on confidentiality clauses in sovereign debt agreements, Transparency International [deadline 20 Feb.]
Logistics Consultant: Human Rights Defenders Forum, Carter Center [deadline 25 Feb.]
RFPs: Transportation Research and Policy and Measurement and Evaluation of State and Local Housing Supply Reforms, Arnold Ventures [LOIs by 27 Mar.]
Consultancy: Partnership to Support Conflict Analysis and Global Policy work for Peacebuilding, Search for Common Ground [deadline 1 Mar.]
Digital Democracy Initiative: Senior Consultant on Digital Rights and Civic Space Advocacy, CIVICUS [deadline 20 Feb.]
Open Call for Proposals/Partners: Countering mis- and disinformation in elections in Zambia, CIVICUS [deadline 27 Feb.]
RFP: INSPIRED Moldova Project’s Final Evaluation, European Partnership for Democracy [deadline 4 Mar.]
International Programs Consultancy, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection [deadline 15 Feb.]
Consultancy: Consortium Manager (Brazil), Global Witness [deadline 23 Feb.]
Call for Nominations: 2026 Seligson Prize, The LAPOP Lab at Vanderbilt University [deadline 15 Apr.]
Request for Proposals: Reparations Narrative and Communications Projects, Liberation Ventures [deadline 3 Mar.]
Call for Applications: EWA Reporting Fellowship, Education Writers Association [deadline 16 Mar.]
And lots more in the last newsletter: Government Works Weekly #65.