Commentary

The Levin Center provides occasional commentary on issues relating to oversight, civil discourse, good governance, and ways to strengthen our democracy. Read our op-eds or view our media appearances here. 

Op Eds

Newspapers

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

Commentary on the House Select Committee's January 6th Hearings

Radio and Television

Camera media coverage

November 1, 2024: Jim Townsend joins WDET’s MichMash podcast on how legislative bodies can ensure government oversight.

May 29, 2024: WPHM radio with Paul Miller: Jim Townsend discusses the importance of legislative oversight. 

April 6, 2023: WDET public radio – Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson: Jim Townsend introduces the Levin Center’s new State Oversight Academy.

February 2, 2022: WDET public radio – Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson: Governmental oversight does not always lead to true accountability. The Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy has a new project titled “Portraits in Oversight,” which explores the history of such investigations throughout the United States’ past.

September 29, 2021: WDET public radio – Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson: The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention the word “truth.” But the document does rely on Americans to seek it. In a world of mass disinformation where facts are often contested, scholars Jonathan Rauch and Levin Center Director Jim Townsend discuss the ways misinformation is being weaponized in contemporary America, how oversight can encourage honest fact-finding, and why the public should demand fact-based discourse in the public square.

Articles and Papers

Research of the scientific journals

2024

2022

2020

Policy Recommendations

Close-up shot of student hand holding pen and writing in notebook, working at home. E-learning

2022

Blog Contributions

WSU-School of Law_702

2022