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Title
& Description
News Outlet
& Journalist
Date
& Location
MEDIA TYPE
& LENGTH
20 November 2020
Paris, France
Text
1500-3000 Words
Cities across France are using citizens’ assemblies, where a diverse group of citizens study important issues and make policy recommendations. In Paris, 150 citizens spent nine months working on the climate convention...
12 November 2020
Brazil
Text
1500-3000 Words
Collective, or shared, candidacies, where groups of candidates to run for a single elected position in Brazil, has helped elevate women and other marginalized groups with progressive platforms to rise to power. From 2...
The Daily Tar Heel
Kathryn Goodwin
8 November 2020
United States
Text
Under 800 Words
MyVote organized over 300 student volunteers, mostly in high school, to research candidates and their policies so that voters could have a “one-stop-shop” platform to learn about policy platforms of candidates running...
29 October 2020
Seattle, Washington, United States
Text
800-1500 Words
A pilot project in several American cities has provided a large amount of data on how residents use streets where vehicular traffic is restricted. The initiative tested out ways to calm traffic, provide space for fami...
The Philadelphia Citizen
Jessica Blatt Press
19 October 2020
United States
Text
1500-3000 Words
Citizens' assemblies, where a randomly selected representative sample of people work together to make decisions and find policy solutions to social issues, is an effective approach to decision-making that bridges pola...
9 October 2020
Fresno, California, United States
Multi-Media
Over 15 Minutes
Latinx politicians hold 48% of all elected positions in Fresno County, gains made possible by the California Voting Rights Act. The law calls for local governments to use district elections instead of citywide races i...
6 October 2020
Oregon, United States
Text
Over 3000 Words
Over a dozen states have adopted some variation of automatic voter registration, which is common in many European democracies. Voters in Oregon are mailed a notification when they are enrolled, which they can send bac...
5 October 2020
California, United States
Multi-Media
1500-3000 Words
In California, two laws have helped to open opportunities for less experienced candidates to win state and local offices, which has increased representation among people of color. A 1990 law set term limits for the st...
27 September 2020
Taiwan
Text
800-1500 Words
vTaiwan is a mixed-reality, scaled listening exercise used by the government as a new way to make decisions. The platform provides an online space for citizens to debate and for politicians to listen to. The governmen...
23 September 2020
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Text
800-1500 Words
Twenty high school students enrolled in Territory, an urban design nonprofit, produced a zine and their own quality of life report for West Austin, where many of the students live. The students conducted interviews, s...
18 September 2020
United Kingdom
Text
1500-3000 Words
Citizen assemblies bring together residents for in-depth discussions about solutions to social issues. This alternative form of democracy led to policy changes in many countries, including legalizing abortion in Irela...
1 September 2020
Ireland
Text
1500-3000 Words
A political experiment to increase trust and build relationships effectively brought together 66 diverse citizens, 33 politicians, and one expert to discuss proposed constitutional amendments and make recommendations ...
27 August 2020
United States
Text
1500-3000 Words
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) protects states from having to fund federal laws. Prior to its passage, Congress passed bills without worrying about how to fund them, leaving states, cities, and counties to pa...
20 August 2020
Massachusetts, United States
Text
1500-3000 Words
Almost half of U.S. states guarantee citizens’ rights to petition for ballot measures, but the coronavirus made gathering signatures in person infeasible. Massachusetts courts allowed electronic signatures, but other ...
6 August 2020
California, United States
Text
Under 800 Words
The Industrial Areas Foundation, the country’s oldest community organizing group, adapted to coronavirus restrictions by using technology to win relief for immigrants without legal documentation in California. Organiz...
31 July 2020
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Text
800-1500 Words
Urban planning policies can lead to greater racial segregation, sometimes intentionally. While older policies could be explicitly racist, today policies such as zoning, which designates land for residential or industr...
23 July 2020
United States
Text
800-1500 Words
Universities are a source of innovative economic activity for neighboring towns and cities. The entrepreneurial activity spurred by academic programs and the effect a large student body has on a college town's main st...
The Correspondent
Patrick Chalmers
10 June 2020
Kenya
Text
Over 3000 Words
Communities around the world are increasing citizen participation in political decision-making in innovative ways. Participatory budgets allow locals to decide how cities spend money and in some Kenyan cities this has...
2 June 2020
Bozeman, Montana, United States
Text
1500-3000 Words
In Montana, a group of professionals were brought together to collaborate on the pandemic recovery effort underway in Bozeman, with the economic development director at the helm. Known as the Bozeman Economic Recovery...
25 May 2020
Matsudo, Japan
Text
1500-3000 Words
Japan's model of prioritizing societal care for their elderly has helped the country achieve the highest life expectancy and be named the healthiest population in the world. Now amid the coronavirus pandemic, the coun...
15 May 2020
United States
Text
Under 800 Words
To provide financial relief to restaurants during Covid-19 related closures, officials in several cities have capped the commission food delivery apps can take from restaurants. Some apps normally take as much as 40% ...
10 May 2020
South Korea
Broadcast TV Programs
Under 3 Minutes
South Korea has effectively crushed the curve in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by using extensive tracking and tracing on its citizens. Using a combination of GPS tracking, monitoring CCTV footage, and even ...
7 May 2020
Los Angeles, California, United States
Text
1500-3000 Words
In Los Angeles, a government-sanctioned camp has been developed for individuals experiencing housing insecurity. The camp, with around-the-clock security, offers residents water, meals, health care, and electrical out...
4 May 2020
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Text
800-1500 Words
Cleveland’s city jail has released close to 900 inmates in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in its overcrowded facilities. And the response isn’t unique – New York, LA, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, and Housto...
27 April 2020
Georgetown, Texas, United States
Text
800-1500 Words
West Texas, traditionally known for its oil business, has become a thriving home for wind energy. Beyond political ideology, wind power as a form of renewable energy is thriving for economic reasons, as it can be more...
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Photos are licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) and are credited to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Conference attendee listening to speaker, Jenifer Daniels / Colorstock getcolorstock.com.
Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Sonia Narang