This blog post is second in a series highlighting the work of the 2024 Charles F. Kettering Global Fellows for Advancing Inclusive Democracies. CFK Global Fellows is an initiative of the Democracy around the Globe focus area with the goal of fostering an international community of partners to promote and defend inclusive democracies.

Elected representatives aren’t always aware of the nuances behind their constituents’ opinions on specific issues. At the same time, constituents typically have few opportunities to meaningfully communicate and share their views with officials. CFK Global Fellow Kerry Reed sees this as a significant challenge for democratic government, which is why she and her colleagues at democracyCo in Australia have been working hard to find a solution.

The People’s House initiative was developed by democracyCo to address this issue by bringing together elected representatives with their constituents to talk through specific issues and policies. This is important because, as Reed states in her report to the foundation, “Elected representatives cannot perform their role well without having a good understanding of the views and needs within their communities. They represent often incredibly diverse constituencies, with many different priorities and needs.”

Because The People’s House initiative has worked well in Australia, the question emerged as to whether this type of interaction between representatives and constituents would work in other democratic countries. For her fellowship project, Reed sought to identify several countries or regions where the method might initially be tried. She reached out to people in the international civil sector, including members in the KF international network. Those who expressed interest in learning more about the model were either sent a survey or were invited to take part in a small-group conversation.

After watching a short video describing The People’s House, participants completed the survey or joined the small group. As information-gathering tools, the conversation and the survey focused on several globally trending democratic challenges and how these issues were manifesting in the participants’ countries. Participants were asked about citizen trust in politicians and institutions, as well as government trust in citizens. The issues of government corruption, disinformation, and societal polarization were also raised.

Reed stated that nearly all respondents thought The People’s House model would be helpful in their country to promote trust between government and citizens, improve transparency in decision-making, and aid in stopping corruption and extremism.

Most participants also agreed that trending democratic challenges—such as corruption, the spread of disinformation, and polarization—were problems in their regions. After analyzing and charting the responses, Reed then created profiles of each participant’s country. These profiles are already being used by democracyCo to determine next steps. The responses received so far indicate a desire for a program that strengthens connections between constituents and the representatives they elect. In other words, a program that strengthens democracy.

Lisa Boone-Berry is the content development specialist for Democracy around the Globe.

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The Charles F. Kettering Global Fellowship for Advancing Inclusive Democracies is a six-month program designed to promote leadership in global civil society and to nurture and support those working to build inclusive democracies around the world.