Democracy and the Economy: Rethinking Civic Participation
Many conversations about civic engagement focus on communication, outreach, and participation processes. But democracy is shaped just as powerfully by economic decisions.
Every day, local governments make decisions about procurement, ownership, zoning, development, budgeting, workforce policy, and public investment. These decisions influence economic opportunity, stability, trust, and ultimately people’s ability to participate in civic life.
At the same time, many of today’s democratic challenges, including declining trust, political disengagement, civic apathy, and polarization, are deeply connected to broader economic realities, including rising costs of living, housing insecurity, regional economic decline, wage inequality, debt burdens, unemployment, and economic precarity.
This webinar explores the relationship between economic policy and democratic participation. Bringing together leading practitioners and scholars working at the intersection of civic engagement, economic mobility, participatory governance, and community wealth building, the conversation will examine how local governments can strengthen democracy through economic decision-making.
Through case studies and practical examples, panelists will explore how economic institutions shape civic participation, trust, and community resilience, and what local governments can do differently to build stronger democratic systems.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Recognize how economic institutions influence civic participation, trust, and civic health
- Identify economic policy levers local governments already control
- Understand how economic insecurity can limit meaningful democratic participation
- Explore practical examples of participatory budgeting, community wealth building, and economic mobility initiatives
- Learn actionable strategies to strengthen democracy through economic decision-making at the local level
Speakers
Celina Su – Professor at the City University of New York and leading scholar on participatory budgeting, civic engagement, and democratic participation.
Leonard Brock – Vice President, Learning and Impact at CFLeads, focused on economic mobility, equity-centered leadership, and community change.
Joe Guinan – President of The Democracy Collaborative and leading voice on community wealth building, democratic ownership, and local economic democracy.
Discussion Themes
The panel will explore questions including:
- What economic decisions should local governments recognize as democratic decisions?
- How do economic conditions shape people’s ability to participate in civic life?
- What participation strategies fail when underlying economic conditions are unstable?
- How can participatory budgeting strengthen democratic agency and trust?
- What can community wealth building teach us about democratic control over local economies?
- What practical steps can local governments take in the next 12 months to better connect economic policy and democratic participation?
Who Should Attend
This webinar is designed for:
- Civic engagement professionals
- Local government leaders and staff
- Community organizers and nonprofit leaders
- Economic development practitioners
- Researchers and students
- Democracy reform advocates
- Philanthropic and community foundation leaders
Whether you work in public participation, economic development, governance, or community leadership, this conversation will provide new ways of thinking about the relationship between economic systems and democratic life.
