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"We'll take the White House. We'll take the Senate. Then, we'll enact a bold, day-one democracy agenda to ensure our country works for everyone, not just a powerful few. The only way we get there is if 2020 presidential candidates do three things:  1. Propose a bold democracy agenda; 2. Make democracy their top legislative priority; 3. Get real about how we get it done: ending the filibuster."

Everyone knows about the big global challenges like economic instability, loss of nature, poverty, waste, conflict and climate disruption. Even after decades of efforts these monstrous problems are not being tackled so much as tickled! Many of these problems are getting out of hand yet even now the possibility of rapidly reversing all of them is within our grasp. This goal looks unrealistic to many people, given the struggle for meaningful change so far. Yet this is the key; the scale of our ambitions must match the scale of the problems as a whole. This is society's blindspot - see this and civilisation gets the chance to go on. This article is the introduction to an 'advanced research workshop' paper, Seven Policy Switches for Global Security, for the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme

We build tools to get cities on the path to better technology, help citizens get the responsive government they should expect, and scale up small discussions to city-wide change. We are an impartial, informed guide to civic technology, incorporating technology, transportation and city planning, an open-source approach, and the standards knowledge necessary to deliver valuable tools to our clients.

"I cannot overemphasize the importance of this fundamental flaw in poverty policy, i.e., the assumption that there is an ample supply of perfectly good jobs out there that poor people could tap if they just wanted to do so. To this day, this misguided notion underlies the conservative policy agenda that views anti-poverty policy as a narcotic that weans people away from the jobs awaiting them. Kill the programs, and they'll get out of their hammocks (Rep. Paul Ryan's term for the safety net) and get to work."

What is Public Comment? Public commenting is a process that allows individuals, organizations, agencies, and businesses to provide input on proposed environmental decisions. (From the Environmental Law Institute Ocean Program) Public comments are important for a variety of reasons. When it comes to environmental decisions, a good aim is to get as many people to submit comments as possible. Often the "other side" (ie: big industries) will comment asking for rules to be more lax -- the specific ask totally depends on what the issue is. The point of getting a lot of people involved and submitting comments is to balance out the "other side" requests -- if more people ask an agency for better protections, then it gives them the support they need to make decisions that will better protect environmental resources.

Efforts to get the middle class back on track have focused mostly on the jobs lost due to automation, and on programs that could retrain people to do the types of jobs that are now being created in the economy-jobs in healthcare, technology, and advanced manufacturing. But this focus on apprenticeships and employment probably won't be enough to pull the middle class from its tailspin. That's because these types of programs ask the worker to adjust to the changing economy, and in essence blame the worker for not getting the skills they need.

"Community governance" refers to the processes for making all the decisions and plans that affect life in the community, whether made by public or private organizations or by citizens. For community governance to be effective, it must be about more than process, it also must be about getting things done in the community. And what gets done must make a difference. So, it is crucial to measure results. But what should be done, and what results should be measured? There is no standard answer. The most important results vary from one community to another, and different people within a community have different perceptions about what the community should try to improve and how success should be measured. So, it is vital to engage citizens in deciding what to do and to engage them in deciding what results to measure or what performance goals or targets to measure against. Then, when targeted results are achieved, they will be results that matter to the people of the community.

Welcome to NatCAN, the National Community Activists' Network. Join us to get advice and support with anything you're trying to do to make the world, or just your part of it, a better place. Meet other people trying to get things done in your area by joining your Regional Discussion Group.

A potential danger in a systems approach is that there is a risk of overjargonizing and getting lost in complex terminology, maps and paralysis by analysis. One of the key themes that emerged from the discussion is that many people are starting to experiment with systems thinking but that it can be daunting or confusing to explain, operationalize or find common agreement. Does system thinking imply a rigorous and dynamic mapping of key actors, power relationships and other factors in a community (Yes)? But then how does systems thinking differ from a solid context analysis (still needs more explanation)? A potential danger in a systems approach is that there is a risk of overjargonizing and getting lost in complex terminology, maps and paralysis by analysis. One of the key themes that emerged from the discussion is that many people are starting to experiment with systems thinking but that it can be daunting or confusing to explain, operationalize or find common agreement. Does system thinking imply a rigorous and dynamic mapping of key actors, power relationships and other factors in a community (Yes)? But then how does systems thinking differ from a solid context analysis (still needs more explanation)? 

If you are trying to organise in a collaborative team, you may be asking yourself: ​ "How do we include people in decisions without spending so much time in meetings?"   "How do we set priorities, distribute tasks and stay aligned on shared goals?"   "If we don't have managers, how do we get feedback, resolve conflict and stay accountable?" ​ You are not alone! We've faced these dilemmas in our own decentralised organisations, and we can help you get unstuck.

Since the 2011 Stanford Social Innovation Review article introduced the concept, collective impact has been widely adopted as an effective form of cross-sector collaboration to address complex social and environmental challenges. Though collective impact has proven to be a powerful approach in tackling a wide range of issues in communities all over the world, many practitioners are searching for the tools they need to be successful in this work. The thought leadership and resources below, and in the Resources and Blog sections of this website, will help you build a foundation for doing this work

About Voter's Edge Welcome to Voter's Edge Voter's Edge is a comprehensive, nonpartisan online guide to federal, state, and local elections in California, Illinois, and New York. With Voter's Edge, voters can: Access their full, personalized ballot by entering their address. Get in-depth information on candidates, measures, and who supports them. See candidate biographies, top priorities, photos, policy videos, endorsements, and detailed information about who funds their campaigns. Read neutral summaries of ballot measures, see the latest news on the measures, and find out who supports and opposes them. Check where, when, and how to vote, including information on their local polling locations. Keep track of their choices to make voting easier. Share information about the election with friends and family.

Results Based Community Planning implements RBA™ population accountability within a local community. It is ….. - Working with a cross section of members of a local community (eg Maitland or Coonamble) - To decide what are the big picture results or outcomes they want for their local community (eg People Belong and are Connected to their Community) - Then work out how they would measure if they had achieved that result (eg Percentage of People with an Effective Neighbourhood Network) - To consider what factors effect that measure and how the local community is going against that measure at the moment - And brainstorm potential partners and potential strategies that could be undertaken to "improve" this measure (eg increase the percentage of people with an effective neighbourhood network) - With some of the strategies having to be Low Cost or No Cost, and some of them Off the Wall because who knows what just might be possible!! - And it is not just about planning, but then getting on and doing it!

Breakthrough Capitalism Our financial, environmental and social systems are heading towards breakdown. But some visionary organisations in the corporate and investment communities are stepping beyond traditional corporate social responsibility (CSR) and socially responsible investment (SRI) and driving systemic change with breakthrough ventures. This is the focus of Phase II of the Breakthrough Capitalism program: see Progress Report. To contribute to the upcoming report Betting on Breakthrough: Top Team Agendas for Transformative Change, or to get involved with a Breakthrough Labs, please contact breakthrough@volans.com

Results for America is improving outcomes for young people, their families and communities by shifting public resources toward practices, policies, and programs that use evidence and data to improve quality and get better results. In a climate of constrained resources and mounting demands, we know that public funds must increasingly be invested in "what works."

Across the U.S., local governments are beginning to include goals and objectives that promote public health into their comprehensive plans. These long-term plans impact how people make choices of where to live and how to get around, their ability to access healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity, and affect broader issues of social equity, clean air and water, and more.

Doubtful News' "Beyond Doubtful" list of no-go-to sources The purpose of Doubtful News is to expose questionable claims in stories you find on the internet. Mostly we deal with major news outlets because those are the stories that people will search on to find additional information. We get those searchers who then can see some science-based, rational takes on paranormal, anomalies and alternative subjects in the news.

This slow growth is not some new phenomenon, but rather the way it has been for 15 years and counting. In the United States, per-person gross domestic product rose by an average of 2.2 percent a year from 1947 through 2000 - but starting in 2001 has averaged only 0.9 percent. The economies of Western Europe and Japan have done worse than that.

Bottom line, we want to do two big things better: Demystify congressional advocacy. We get hundreds of questions every day about what Congress is doing, how to organize locally (see the toolkit!), and how to advocate in different situations. We're going to start sending out timely updates and resources on what's going on in Congress and how you can best organize, make your voice heard, and influence your members of Congress.   Support the community of local groups putting the Indivisible Guide into action. We want to provide shared tools to help groups organize events, communicate with each other, and share best practices and resources. This also means spotlighting local successes and supporting a sense of a shared purpose. You can see that shared purpose already forming-just look at this beautiful movement on Rachel Maddow.

Our goal is to provide you with a solution that is of the same quality as custom-built software and that does exactly what you need, for less than what you would pay for commercial off-the-shelf software that only gets you 80% there. We know we can do it, and we think you should too.