Current Projects
Democratic Accountability
Democracies require clear and effective accountability standards. In a series of essays, CDG Co-Director, Chris Koliba has recently published a set of considerations relative to defining and applying democratic accountability standards. The CDG continues to advance work and discussions regarding the normative, legal, and political values and standards that characterize liberal democracies.
Democratic Accountability
Koliba, Christopher. "Liberal democratic accountability standards and public administration."Public Administration Review 85, no. 1 (2024): 21-31.
Koliba, Christopher. "Truth and democratic accountability: Considerations for the public sphere, public leadership and performance management."Public Performance & Management Review (2025): 1-30.
Koliba, Christopher. "Democratic accountability standards and the education of public administrators: A call to action."Journal of Public Affairs Education 31, no. 2 (2025): 117-124.
Koliba, Christopher. "Diagnostic tools for evaluating the transgression of democratic accountability standards: the United States election administration and public health crisis of 2020."Perspectives on Public Management and Governance(2026): gvaf025.
Koliba, Christopher. "Antiracism and Democracy: Bridging the Gaps Between Ideals and Reality."Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (2026): 1-24.
Koliba, C, 2026. Quoted in: Kansas lawmakers lean on rule against ‘impugning motives,’ stifling criticism. Kansas Reflector. https://kansasreflector.com/2026/04/14/kansas-lawmakers-complaints-of-attacking-motives-test-open-democratic-debate/
Koliba, C. 2026. Governance Networks in Public Administration and Public Policy. Business Talk Podcast. Unveiling Wisdom: Essential Lessons from Notable Books Series. March 17, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDuBaEichYg.
Koliba, C., Augustine, N. et al. 2026. Who Decides? State Preemption, Local Power, and the Future of HealthEquity. National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Webinar. March 6, 2026: https://napawash.org/events/who-decides-state-preemption-local-power-and-the-future-of-health-equity
Novkov, J., Levitt, J. and Koliba, C. 2025. The Relationship Between Civil Rights Law and DEI: Implications for the Delivery of Public Service. American Society of Public Administration Webinar Series. March 11, 2025. https://vimeo.com/1137812910
Koliba, C. 2025. Equity on Trial with Academy Fellows Kimberly Walton and Chris Koliba. National Academy of Public Administration. Management Matters Podcast. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1073332/episodes/17595952-equity-on-trial-with-academy-fellows-kimberly-walton-and-chris-koliba
Koliba, C. 2025. Democratic Accountability Standards. On PAR. Public Administration Review. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/15406210/homepage/podcast-onpar
Koliba, C. 2025. Kansas public administration professor calls for action in wake of eroding democratic norms. Kansas Reflector. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/10/kansas-public-administration-professor-calls-for-action-in-wake-of-eroding-democratic-norms/
Koliba, C. 2025. Kansas Professor Warns of “Democratic Backsliding.” Kansas Reflector Podcast. https://kansasreflector.com/podcasts/kansas-professor-warns-of-democratic-backsliding/
Koliba, C. 2024. Missouri Republicans Share a Campaign Tactic: Punching Down on Kansas City and St. Louis. KCUR. https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-08-01/missouri-republicans-share-a-campaign-tactic-punching-down-on-kansas-city-and-st-louis
Koliba, C. 2024. Strengthening Democracy through Accountability. National Academy of Public Administration. Management Matters Podcast. https://napawash.buzzsprout.com/1073332/15310587-strengthening-democracy-through-accountability-with-dr-chris-koliba
State Preemption and Narrative Governance
CDG Co-directors Koliba and Muddiman are leading efforts to understand how state preemption is being used to shape health, housing and wage policies that have been passed at the local level or citizen ballot measures. This project, “The Role of State Preemption on the Health Equity & Economic Security of Communities of Color in the Kansas City Metro Area,” is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a collaboration with the National Academy of Public Administration’s Center for Intergovernmental Partnerships.
State Preemption and Narrative Governance
Swenson, Margaret H., Lauren D. Boczkowski, Brad Riley, K. Noelle Broughton, and Christopher J. Koliba. "Preemption and Generational Health Equity: The Role of Forced Inaction in Shaping Outcomes."The Milbank Quarterly (2026).
Muddiman, A., Bell, D., Swenson, M., Boczkowski, L., Koliba, C. (2026, Jan). Delegitimizing narratives: Villains, victims, and heroes in Policymakers’ Preemption Debates. Manuscript presented at the Conference on Policy Process Research (COPPR) in Bern, Switzerland.
Muddiman, A. (2026, June 17). Communication Matters. Presented to the Clay County Public Health Center. Liberty, MO.
Democracy and Media
U.S. media organizations are often described as the Fourth Estate, institutions separate from the government that can serve as a source of information to voters, a watchdog over government officials, and a provider of community information needs. Yet trust in news has plummeted in recent decades, journalistic freedom is threatened in the U.S. and internationally, and the extent to which news coverage, in practice, supports democracies is an open question. Research at the CDG tackles questions of media and democracy and works toward finding approaches that can help journalists cover communities in democratically beneficial ways.
Democracy and Civics Education
Democracy requires an educated public. CDG researchers are exploring new, experiential education methods designed to strengthen civics curriculum in a contentious, polarized information environment.