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Tomorrow, fourth-year political science major Yash Tasouji will present his research virtually at the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association’s (HCURA) 2021 . In addition to sharing his research titled, “Democratic Responses to the Rise in Contentious Politics,” Yash will listen to presentations from other undergraduates and connect with large research companies and institutions, research leaders, and entrepreneurs from around the world.

Yash has had a long-held interest in political science, particularly political theory and democratic theory.

“I think our times have brought new challenges that require a fresh take,” says Yash. “I want to explore and test innovative solutions to our contemporary issues.”

His presentation will do just that by contextualizing the current contentious political climate, with a focus on the West, specifically the United States and parts of Western Europe.

“We have seen a process of disenchantment with democratic systems, which has led to contentious politics characterized by anti-establishment or populist movements, as well as far-right or nativist movements,” says Yash.

After establishing this, he provides potential, real-world solutions to the issues that arise in a contentious political climate. These include creating:

• A committee of experts who would make policy recommendations to politicians;
• “A people’s jury”—a group of individuals whose purpose would be to critique politicians and their committee of experts during regularly scheduled political briefings;
• A political media platform to digitize political discourse by requiring politicians to publish their campaign promises and policy decisions online. Additionally, it would act as a source of reliable and trustworthy information.

Yash is looking forward to presenting these ideas at the three-day conference.

“I would like to expose my ideas to professional academic critique and would be happy to have holes poked in them, so I can go back and refine them,” he says. “I am also looking forward to meeting other like-minded undergraduates from around the world.