Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are three models that give citizens a voice by encouraging participatory democracy. 

• What are the benefits? Do you have opportunities in your community for civic involvement?

• Read about how nonprofits are playing a vital role in civic engagement. 

Since the 2016 US presidential election, everyone—including the President and those protesting outside his office—has been talking about bringing the voices of everyday citizens into public life. Several hurdles have prevented the efforts of many groups—including nationwide organizations, civic technologists, social entrepreneurs, policymakers, and advocates championing civic innovation—from reaching and supporting communities that are already engaging citizens in effective ways.

One challenge to engaging community residents in civic life beyond simply voting every two or four years is that there is no consensus about what a more robust, participatory model of democracy—one in which people more actively participate in the civic fabric of their community—looks like in the United States.

Below are three models that have the potential to counter these obstacles and scale across communities:

  • Giving citizens government data: Through application programming interfaces (APIs), they are making government information both readable and writable, thus enabling people not only to view and use information, but also to add it.
  • Giving citizens a direct line to their representatives: There is also an increasing array of innovations—including interactive public meetings, and participatory planning and zoning commissions—aimed at enabling residents to more easily connect with local government officials.
  • Giving citizens a seat at the table: There are also several promising models for citizens to serve as co-producers of policy.

By pursuing open data, direct lines of communication, and co-creation of policy, we can establish a forward-looking agenda for deepening civic life in America.

Read the full article about participatory democracy by Hollie Russon Gilman at Stanford Social Innovation Review.