Rebuilding American Democracy Through Public Participation

Join New America’s Political Reform program and the Reconstructing Democracy Project on October 22 from 3-4pm ET for a panel discussion on how the next pro-democracy administration can restore public trust in institutions by strengthening the channels and avenues for public engagement.

Our panelists — Sabeel Rahman, Alex Hertel-Fernandez, Sam Berger, and Hollie Russon Gilman — are co-authors of a new paper, Toward Democracy: Deepening Public Participation and Engagement in Federal Policymaking. Drawing on in-depth conversations with civil society leaders, practitioners, and government officials, their research finds that participation grounded in real dialogue strengthens the civil society infrastructure democracy needs to thrive — and that when public engagement is meaningfully structured, it doesn’t just build trust, it can make policymaking more efficient.

Panelists will discuss what it will take to put these findings into practice, including:

• Shifting federal agency mindsets around public participation
• Learning from innovative engagement models at the state and local level
• Investing in regional and local capacity for civic engagement