Albert’s research has developed the concept of democratic professionalism to address both the barriers to lay citizen participation in professional domains as well as the resources available for sharing power in typically hierarchical institutions. Working with the Kettering Foundation and other non-governmental organizations, he has studied democratic innovators in criminal justice, public administration, education, and health care. His central focus has been on how reformers have managed to create and sustain institutional norms and practices that encourage genuine collaboration, transparency, and power-sharing