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"The process of involving people, even if they have different points of view, maybe conflicting points of view, is very important."
Svetlana Chernikova
Coping With the Cost of Health Care:
What Is The Public Voice?
Video Podcast
"We can improve the conversation and that directly impacts people's lives."
Martin Carcasson
DDEX
Ibtesam, Rhanda Slim
Mideast Network
"In our research, we look at what ideas community leaders have about the role of the public in deliberating issues and forming policy."
Alberto Olivas
"When I'm working with the different Pacific Island communities, I must make sure that their way of being is always respected and regarded."
Moerangi Falaoa
"You can't sustain an urban community without the voice of its citizens."
Louise Spiegel
"Students have more of a sense that 'maybe we can do that, too.'"
Katy Harriger
Podcasts
David Mathews discusses Education Research
Speaking of Politics Interview
Citizens
HOW DO CITIZENS MAKE SOUND DECISIONS ABOUT PUBLIC ISSUES?
One of the key hypotheses underlying our research is that citizens must make sound decisions about public issues. Citizens are the greatest untapped resource for meeting the challenges of the 21st century. While the work of government is important and there is some work that only government can and must do, Kettering seeks to learn more about work that only citizens can do.
In a functioning democracy, what is the citizens’ role in making difficult choices on public problems? How does this differ from and complement the roles of institutions and government?
If the ability to make sound decisions is required of all citizens, what is the citizens’ role in acting on those decisions? How can citizens engage in their communities and organize themselves to act with others?
Kettering’s research workshops and joint learning relationships ask how citizens might accept their responsibility, make sound decisions about what is in the public’s interest, and join forces to act on those decisions.
Learn More
The Ecology of Democracy
Democracy exists at two levels: at the institutional level, which includes elections, lawmaking, and the delivery of services; and an organic foundation of ad hoc associations and civic organizations. This organic level is at the foundation of the institutional system, and that is where political democracy is rooted.
Politics of Self-Rule: Six Public Practices
Democratic practices, the things people do to govern themselves, are distinctive, yet they are just variations of the things that happen every day in communities—but without involving many citizens. For these routines to become public, communities don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary—they just have to do the ordinary in different ways.
Public Deliberation in Democracy
Public deliberation is crucial to combating the alienation of citizens who feel shut out of the political system, citizens who want a stronger hand in shaping their future but don’t see how they can make a difference. To make a significant difference, citizens need to have the power to act collectively or together as a citizenry. They may act by electing representatives or through their own civic initiatives. In either case, these actions ought to be wise or sound.
Critical Junctures along the Path of Engagement
The
Engagement Path
lays out a framework for addressing the subject of public engagement. It creates a way of thinking about the topic at hand and identifies key hurdles people face as they move along the engagement path.
Explore More of Kettering's Research on Citizens