by jpitney | May 28, 2021 | Deliberation, Democracy
At The Harvard Gazette, Liz Mineo talks to Jane Mansbridge: GAZETTE: How might we get citizens who are so polarized to listen to one another? MANSBRIDGE: One proven practice is the technique of citizens’ assemblies or deliberative polls. These are groups of citizens...
by jpitney | May 25, 2021 | Civility, Deliberation
Gary Abernathy at The Washington Post: While everyone acknowledges our division and the social and cultural isolation at its core, doing something about it takes effort. Be of good cheer. There are those dedicated to doing just that, including organizations such...
by jpitney | Apr 26, 2021 | Civility, Deliberation
John Halpin at The Liberal Patriot: Is there any way for citizens to restore effective and non-maddening political debate? It won’t be easy to reverse these trends given the ideological and partisan takeover of most institutions. But here are a few ideas:...
by jpitney | Apr 22, 2021 | Civility, Deliberation, Uncategorized
Richard M. Perloff at Cleveland.com: Pollyannaish as it may sound, three lines of social science research show that treating adversaries in positive, respectful ways can overcome resistance, replacing it with, if not agreement, mutual understanding. First, research...
by jpitney | Apr 19, 2021 | Budget, Congress, Deliberation
Nan Swift at LegBranch.org: Senate Democrats, frustrated their increasingly costly agenda is hitting some speedbumps (also known as business as usual), are considering a novel—and dangerous—solution to their legislative logjam: sub out the Congressional Budget Office...
by jpitney | Mar 25, 2021 | Congress, Deliberation
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: In the final analysis, commission-making is a significant ceding to non-elected people, at least temporarily, of Congress’s constitutional policy making and oversight responsibilities. If a problem is an immediate crisis, forming a...
