University of Chicago Center for Effective Government

The Center for Effective Government (CEG) was founded in 2019 with an ambitious but vital mission: to identify, evaluate, and advance reforms that strengthen democratic institutions and improve government capacity to solve public problems. Situated within the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, CEG is an academic institution serving as a bridge between groundbreaking research, civic leaders, media organizations, and the general public. As a nonpartisan organization centered in scholarship, we remain grounded and action-oriented, building networks and partnerships that allow us to translate policy innovations from the academic world into practical steps forward in the public sphere. CEG's programming and activities are varied and robust. The Center specializes in high-impact leadership development programs for civic leaders, hosts academic conferences that feature the latest research on democracy, builds media partnerships that focus on research-supported solutions to democratic challenges, and publishes primers for leaders in governmental, nonprofit, and journalistic spaces to highlight the scholarly evidence for different institutional reforms. Our work enables us to break down barriers between scholars, practitioners, leaders, and the American public, allowing for more informed dialogue between sectors and concrete progress to improve our governing institutions. To respond to the gridlock, polarization, and misinformation that threaten our democracy, CEG’s efforts to build networks of information-sharing, collaboration, and deliberation across difference are more essential than ever.