Perhaps the most venerable and widely quoted definition of democracy is "rule by the many"--as opposed to "rule by one" or "rule by a few". It's a workable definition, as…
Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)--which describes itself as "a community of funders that invest in the sustaining elements of democracy and civic life in the United States" --has launched…
The good news about polarization is twofold: fully 75% Americans seem to recognize it's a problem of crisis proportions, while over 200 civic organizations have stepped up to counter it. …
Eric Liu, founder and CEO of the Citizen University, has a new TED Talk in which he calls for a "civic religion", which he describes as "a framework of belief…
There used to be a time, not so very long ago, when "the facts" referred to something confirmed, certain, clear, something in which we could have shared confidence--and therefor agree…
Whether or not our National Parks are "America's best idea", it's undeniable that they're a uniquely American invention. They also offer a uniquely American image of democracy. I don't mean…
For as long as perhaps any other organization The National Civic League has been promoting civic engagement. One way it does this is through publication of its Civic Index, which…
While EnCiv's core mission has broadened to include collaborative undertakings of virtually any and all types, civil discussion remains a focus. We are convinced that the tools we're developing can…
I was introduced to another image of democracy when I went off to school in the late '70s: the co-operative, or "co-op", as most people called them. There were bike…
It's easy to follow EnCiv founding member Interactivity on social media. Just click here. The same page also contains a long list of links to other organizations, from the umbrella…
This past weekend The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story on a global "wave" of regulations aimed at U.S. tech giants. The new regulatory efforts have three main targets:…
Our last post began our occasional series "Images of Democracy" not by discussing a famous speech or political theory, but by describing the poetic vision of Walt Whitman. Continuing that…
Walt Whitman (1819-92) is almost universally recognized as America's greatest poet--not least because of his ability to formulate and convey a profound and inspiring view of what it means to…
For 30 years now, extending back to the days when I was a full-time theorist, I have consistently maintained that while some forms of democratic discussion might be better than…
A new chapter-based Wisconsin group, LeaderEthics, is sparking enthusiasm with its call for ethical leadership in politics. According to the group, ethical leaders are: honest and truthful transparent with public…