It is well documented that politics in the US has grown more partisan over the past two decades. Why? --The factors most frequently blamed are the increasing influence of money…
A new electronic map published by the Participatory Budgeting Project shows that participatory budgeting--a process in which citizens are directly involved in allocating public dollars--is growing. The map, which allows…
This announcement from the National Issues Forum is likely to be of interest to our readers: On May 9, 2019, the Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) will host A Public Voice…
In 1819, author of the Declaration of Independence and third President Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia (UVA). In both its curriculum and layout the new school stood out…
Most people nowadays agree that we're a divided country. But those on both sides of the divide tend to disagree about who's "at fault." In my humble opinion, there's plenty…
Governments and corporations are rushing to protect consumers' online privacy. Just a few examples: just over a year ago, the European Union instituted a comprehensive data protection scheme (the General…
The Bipartisan Policy Center's latest quarterly report confirms what many citizens have long sensed: Congress isn't doing its job. The in-depth report's summary reads as follows:…
NPR recently ran a series entitled "The Civility Wars." An intriguing story that's part of the series notes that not everyone is in favor of restoring civility because "The calls…
Endorsements are coming in for candidates for mayor and alder in the Chicago municipal election, now just 12 days away. For a roundup of the endorsements, including those from the…
EnCiv founding member Ballotpedia will be hosting a webinar on the important and increasingly intriguing Chicago municipal election. The webinar is slated for February 22, four days before the election…
On February 5, The Austin Weekly News, which serves Chicago's West Side neighborhoods, published a special election issue in partnership with City Bureau, a grassroots journalism non-profit that was also…
The vision behind EnCiv is that member organizations will contribute to a functioning online platform that is more than the sum of its parts. Photo by Globalism Pictures Even before…
The latest issue of EnCiv founding member Ballotpedia's e-newsletter on the February 26 Chicago municipal election, "The Deep Dish," is available for viewing. Photo by Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar Here's…
We're often told not to mix politics (or religion) and polite conversation. The advice is often offered as self-evident. Far from it. In fact, the conventional wisdom that politics is a…
In a fascinating blog posted in Politico Magazine just before the recent midterms, two Georgetown University academics review new findings in neuroscience that suggest that being a liberal or conservative may…