What are “civic opportunities?” They are the chances people have to work together, with other residents and with public servants, to make decisions, solve problems, and build community. They are...
Deliberative processes – including civic assemblies, participatory budgeting, and deliberative forums – have been tried, studied, and refined for well over three decades now. Across that history, a consistent pattern...
Many community foundations have long been champions of civic health in their communities. As place-based institutions, they understand local dynamics intimately. They are above the political fray, so they can...
An update from Matt Leighninger on the activities and progress of the Center for Democracy Innovation Dear Friends: Many people have lost confidence in the basic idea that Americans can...
Jon Abercrombie, who passed away last month, was an influential civic innovator who helped make Decatur, Georgia, a sterling example of participatory and deliberative democracy. After an already-accomplished career in...
Local institutions face a crisis of confidence in our current approach to solving public problems. Millions of reasonable Americans, in red, blue, and purple communities, don’t sufficiently know or value...
Our political system is broken. Americans don’t trust institutions (or each other) and feel that their voices are not being heard. This has been true for a while, and has...
Last month, the National Civic League’s Center for Democracy Innovation and the Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability (IDEA) at the Ohio State University co-hosted the second annual Global Innovations...
The following are remarks from Matt Leighninger during the Conference on Citizenship, November 30, 2023. Matt was introducing the lunch plenary, ‘Structural Reforms for the Future of Democracy,’ featuring Maureen...
