The Strong Effect of Weak Ties
Social connections help drive protest mobilization—as long as those connections aren't too close.
Civic Engagement - Most Popular
Social innovations that enrich society and enhance democratic participation (more)
Social Innovation: A Bi-Partisan Bright Spot
The White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation enjoys broad, bi-partisan support; in the wake of midterm elections, its work is more important than ever.
Podcast
Lessons Learned From Walking to the North and South Poles
Robert Swan, an inspirational speaker who founded 2041 and the first man to walk to both global poles, addresses his audience about the relationship between passion and reaching goals.
Taking Charge of Scaling Well
Tensions at the heart of the scaling process demonstrate the critical part that practitioners’ goals, values, and motivations play in any scaling story.
Civic Crowdfunding: A New Way of Spending Down?
Civic crowdfunding shouldn't support core public services; it should create immediate impact and inform future projects.
sponsored
Roundtable on Community Engagement and Collective Impact
The Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions gathered scholars and practitioners for a conversation about engaging the community in a collective impact initiative.
From Petitions to Decisions
After Change.org placed petitions at the center of its platform, the size of its membership soared. But operating a high-volume petition site isn’t enough for its leaders. Includes magazine extras.
The New Prize: Long-term Training and Engagement
Prize and challenge designers are focusing on training future social innovators and creating communities of engaged problem solvers.
Government
Moving Toward Multi-Dimensional Democracy
If the Hewlett Foundation’s Madison Initiative wants to strengthen American democracy, it needs to adopt a more multi-layered democratic theory.