These articles, funded by the Ford Foundation as part of the Realizing Democracy project, speak to an increasingly shared understanding among policymakers, civil society leaders, and scholars that democracy reform today must address underlying systemic roots of exclusion and inequality. The ideas reflect the views of the authors solely.
As long as it is more profitable to rig the rules than play by them, our better angels are unlikely to thrive. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
It is often tempting to try to solve problems by looking for policy fixes, new technologies, and informational solutions, instead of addressing underlying power dynamics.
Organizers renew democracy by building the capacity it requires. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
Powerful organization, rather than efficient mobilization, is the way to re-center people in our political life. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
Recent research documents only a weak electoral connection between state legislators and their voters. It's time to break the cycle and restore political power to ordinary citizens over entrenched minorities. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
Community organizations nationwide are pushing prosecutors to embrace a new criminal justice reform agenda and collaborating with attorneys general to protect working people. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
The imbalance between the wealthy and the rest of Americans dramatically alters how public policy itself is formulated. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
To rebalance our democracy and economy, a real system of economic checks and balances must exist to ensure that working people have power in their workplaces. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
Good strikes force the very consensus building that America needs, and the sooner we reprioritize unions, the sooner we can reclaim democracy. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
When corporate engagement with governments serves narrow interests and money is critical for campaigns and influence, the system causes “corruptive dependencies,” exacerbates inequality, and leads to the perception that our “captured economy” is rigged and unjust. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
Three takeaways to establish the structural and institutional guardrails necessary to creating a serious, concerted, and holistic effort to address issues of power and inequality across civil society, government, and the economy. Part of the Winter 2020 issue's Realizing Democracy supplement funded by the Ford Foundation.
