Podcasts about citizen engagement

Infrastructure in the U.S. now costs dramatically more than in countries like Germany or Croatia—without clear signs of higher quality or better environmental outcomes. Why has infrastructure spending spiraled out of control? Could democracy itself—through litigation, regulations, and empowered citizen voices—be driving costs sky-high?George Washington University Professor of Public Policy Leah Brooks investigates why the U.S. pays so much more per mile of highway compared to other nations in her paper “Infrastructure Costs”. Brooks reveals shocking findings: from the late 1960s onward, the cost to build highways in America surged dramatically, not because of higher wages or materials, but because of legal battles, environmental reviews, and citizen demands.

Today we're exploring civil society's efforts to shape the food system and land use in the United Kingdom. Our guest today is Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the Food, Farming, and Countryside Commission (FFCC). The deeply grassroots work of the commission brings people together to find practical solutions to climate, nature, and health challenges. The goal is to shape fairer and more sustainable food systems and a just transition for rural communities and the countryside. Interview Summary Well, Sue, I am really interested to start off learning a little bit more about you. Can you tell us why are you interested in food and farming and the countryside?    So, I'm talking to you from Wales, from my farm in Wales. I live and work on a small, organic, conservation orientated farm that produces native breed cattle and sheep. It's so authentic. I have a duck in my office with me at the moment. So, if any of your listeners hear any odd sounds, I promise you that's her, not me.  I come from a family in Wales, which either went down the mines or farmed and had small holdings. My father went down the mines, but we always, as a family longed to get back to our deeply felt roots. And it was about 27 years ago that my parents and I, my family, were able to buy our farm here in Wales, which is, I suppose, the culmination of a dream. And although we were not naive about farming, when you're deeply embedded in the everyday life of the farmer and operating in the farming system (the food and farming system) you learn some different things pretty quickly. And so, for a fair few years, I was working out how to make the farm work economically. But also, how the farm could make a really good contribution to tackling the climate crisis and the nature crisis. How we could sequester more carbon on the farm. How we could build more natural infrastructure on the farm to help nature thrive here again. You will recall, the UK had its own political, should we call it a little, a minor apocalypse back in 2016, when the UK voted to exit the European Union. And, the implications of that vote were pretty, pretty, extraordinary for farming and for food systems and the environment. As a result, civil society, business organizations got together and were able to get some philanthropic funding to set up a commission (Food, Farming, and Countryside Commission) to shape a different future for food and farming and the countryside outside of the European Union. And when that job was advertised, it was my dream job, bringing together, as it did, the future of farming, the future of food systems, and being able to impact and influence policy at a really, really critical time. I want to make sure I understand a little bit more about what's happening. Because of Brexit, that means the UK is no longer part of the common agricultural policy and is now needing to reconstruct its agricultural policy structure. It sounds like the commission was brought in to do some of this work. I would like to understand what in particular challenges are facing the food and agriculture scene in the UK post Brexit.  I think that the first thing that we were able to do in the work of the commission was to start talking about food as a system. That was relatively unusual in the UK. One of our leading thinkers, Professor Tim Lang, used to say that the UK's food policy was basically leave it to Tesco, which is one of our big supermarkets. It was essentially left to private markets to determine the kind of food that we had on our plates. It was clear that that strategy was not working anymore. And given the really quite startling system changing implications of that particular vote, we were able to take a different perspective on food systems and start thinking about food as a system. We talked about, as it says on the tin, food and farming and the countryside, but we also talked about food and farming's relationship with climate, with nature, with health and wellbeing, and with equity and justice. In bringing that more, if you like, systemic view into people's consciousnesses, we were able to demonstrate really how central food policy is to UK's economy, health and wellbeing of UK citizens. Perhaps in a way that had not been done with quite the same heft as before. Lots of people have been trying but hadn't quite landed center stage in policy terms. And we were able to show through our work and then our reports, the relationship between food and farming and diet-related ill health. Farming systems and the climate crisis. Farming systems and biodiversity loss and the nature crisis. And also, starting to reveal the inequities, the inequalities embedded in the food system when we start looking not just within our own borders in the UK, but beyond our borders to how the UK trades with the rest of the world. Because countryside is one of the major themes, it's in the title of Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, and I've spent a little time in England and the countryside. And I'm from a rural area and the United States, and I'm interested to understand how you all are thinking about the needs or the challenges, or even the opportunities that the countryside faces in the UK. One of the things that I realized when I started this job back in 2017 was that for many people in London, the countryside is just the gap on the map between the cities. They had very little understanding of the contribution of the rural economy, the importance of the rural economy, particularly the countryside's importance, criticality, even for tackling the climate crisis, tackling the nature crisis. It's there where a lot of the problems occur, but also where a lot of the solutions can be found too. And so, talking about the countryside, not as a kind of poor relation to the rest of the economy, but actually central to a version of the future that was able to be more resilient, more adaptive to whatever kind of scenarios might unfold. That felt like a pretty important thing for us to be doing. And when we were conducting our work in those early days, we did all the usual things that a commission might do. We did a literature review, we held workshops, we held all sorts of kind of formal research processes. But we also set out around the country, around the UK on a bicycle. My researchers set out around the UK on a bicycle. Because we wanted to do something pretty iconic to show the richness, the diversity, the variety, the political salience and the economic salience of the countryside to policy discussions in Westminster. I think one of our successes has been to bring those voices into policy decisions. And to give them much more gravity, I think, in policy considerations that often feel very distant in London. How have they shaped the way you all have done the work at the FFCC? Are they altering or informing the work in different ways? Yes. Absolutely. We work with citizens in a number of different ways. So that first moment, the kind of bicycle tour around the UK was if you like, a symbolic moment of connecting with people in their communities. Going out to where people are, letting them tell us in their terms, what mattered to them, what they cared about, what they were concerned about. But in a really kind of barefoot ethnographic way, I think, being able to hear directly from folk. But we also built long term relationships in three, if you like, sentinel parts of the country: in Devon, in Cambridgeshire, and in Cumbria. Different parts of the UK reflecting different kinds of priorities and different pressures in the countryside. Devon is a grassland community, it's very touristy. Cambridgeshire is one of the bread baskets of the country, but with huge pressures on housing and infrastructure. And Cumbria is the uplands, the high mountainous uplands that people understand as a holiday hotspot. But working in those places in depth over for five years now, we have been able to both test out policy ideas in, in real places, in real time. Our land use framework project is a case in point. In thinking about how we make better decisions about land, we worked with people for whom those decisions are incredibly material. It's about what happens in their communities, what happens around them. We were able to develop policy contributions based on testing different options, different possibilities with people in places. And of course, we were able then to bring forward their ideas, their thoughts, and their really practical activities to the view of government, to the view of policy makers and to businesses. It was a kind of reciprocal relationship, testing out ideas in communities, but also bringing community ideas into government, into policy makers. You know, demonstrating how people are already doing things, already doing really interesting and radical and progressive things, whether or not government is supporting them or not. More recently, we've embarked on a very, very substantial project. It's called the Food Conversation and the Food Conversation is a project that was designed to really test out the answer to the question, so what do people really want from food? I wonder if you have the same experience in the United States, Norbert, but certainly in the UK, we hear over and over and over again, particularly from lobbyists, but often from government, that people don't really care about food. People just want cheap food. They just want convenient food. Nobody wants to be told what to eat. Nobody wants a nanny state. And those kind of toxic narratives, those devices were being used over and over again to limit government's appetite for policy intervention. And after this happened, again about two years ago, after the government commissioned its own national food strategy and then declined to respond in any meaningful way to it, I rather spat the dummy in in leadership terms and decided we were really going to have to test out this narrative, this way of framing food policy change. So, we set out 18 months ago, on the biggest civil society dialogue that the UK has ever seen. We conducted 12 citizens assemblies around the UK asking people directly, so what do we really want from food? In academic terms, it's kind of like a meta review, because what we've done is show citizens the kind of research that's been done over the last 10 or more years. The research has been done by experts in the UK and internationally that show the impacts of the food system on climate, on nature, on our health and wellbeing. And we've asked them what they think about the recommendations that those research reports have made. All of those recommendations that have been kind of discounted by governments because 'no one wants the nanny state.' You have to imagine my air quotes there. And of course, in conducting that conversation, we found really quite quickly that toxic narrative is not true at all. When you reveal to citizens the complexities and the interdependence of the food system with their health, with the state of their high streets, you know, what, what's being sold to them and how. When you explain how that impacts on farmers and growers, primary producers. When you explain how it impacts on communities all around the world, often very vulnerable communities around the world. When you explain how it impacts on the climate and nature, people are pretty, pretty shocked and pretty horrified. And most interestingly, when you show people how the food system has become more commodified, more consolidated in fewer and fewer hands. More financialized by a small number of global agribusinesses who are continuing to make eye watering profits, while, for example, in the UK, our own health service is buckling under the strain of diet related ill health, obesity, heart disease and so on they are furious. They say, why don't we know and why doesn't anybody else do anything about this? And so that piece of work, well, this phase of it is coming to a conclusion. We've got, oh, 500,000 words worth of material generated by citizens contributions. And that culminates in a summit, the Citizens Food Summit in London on the 19th of November when we'll be sharing citizens perspectives. And indeed, business perspectives too, civil society organization perspectives. Because lots of businesses are lining up alongside citizens saying this needs to be different. We need to change this. And we're sharing those insights with policymakers. And the intention is to strengthen their arm in taking a proper systems view of food policy in the UK and starting to act as if food policy really matters. Because it does.  This is impressive work. This idea of listening to citizens and sharing with their government officials their views of the food system. In some ways. It's so basic you would thought this would be going on already. And yet we all know that this doesn't happen frequently. It's an exciting enterprise that you all have engaged. I would be interested to see what happens after the November gathering. Very, very happy to share that with you. The way that we've designed it... you'll be familiar with citizens assemblies. They're usually national interventions. They bring people together from across the country. They happen over a period of weeks. They report and then, and then they finish. We've designed ours somewhat differently. We designed ours in places, so 12 around the country. Brought together citizens in those places, as well as the anchor institutions. Organizations that can actually get on and do stuff without waiting for government or big business to act. And so, we've been both listening to citizens, but we've also been doing a little bit of movement facilitation, if you like. We're helping to build food movements, along with our colleagues who are also doing this work in places around the country. And so already we're seeing citizens taking the opportunity to carry on talking to each other, to set up initiatives in their own community. To connect with the initiatives that already exist that they might not have known about. To talk to local policymakers and local leaders about how they can do things differently. So, it was really important to us to kind of learn from the successes and perhaps some of the failures of previous assemblies and dialogues to say, what needs to happen so that change can happen as a result of this, so that citizens efforts, citizens contributions, very generous contributions of their time and their insight actually make something happen. You know what, I realize that this sounds very similar to the work of food policy councils here in the US. It's a similar sort of structure. But I'm interested, it's something you said earlier on, and I want to draw attention to this issue. I have my own experience that these efforts, lots of different folks come to the table with varying concerns and sometimes conflicting concerns. If you think about the economic gradient where there are people from higher income households and maybe lower income who are experiencing the food system differently. While they share a lot of concerns, there are some big differences. And I'm interested to hear how you all are dealing with that diversity of thought and experience. Yeah. So, the way we selected our participants was through the sortition process. We sent out 120,000 invitations around the UK. We got a very high level of response rate to that. But from that number, we selected populations that really reflected their communities. And in some communities, we waited for the seldom heard voices. We wanted to make sure that we really pulled in those people who are less likely to be asked or invited or included in these sorts of initiatives. We built that, if you like, reflection of community in each of the assemblies around the country. We invested in quite a bit of context setting at the start. Helping people get to know each other, connect with each other, understand each other a bit, their own experiences and perspectives on the food system. And then getting people on the same page in terms of, you know, the context of food. What we found, and in fact the professional organizations, specialist organizations that have worked with us on this project have been really startled by it. The consistency of perspective across political backgrounds, educational backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, protected characteristics, race, class, gender. The consistency of response to food systems issues is the highest that our professional advisors have ever seen. And, and that's, that's been really, really fascinating to me. I think it is because, and this goes back to the reason why we wanted to do this work in the first place, very often we end up talking about big, abstracted issues. Even climate and nature can feel big and abstracted. And the political economy of food, very abstracted. When you come back to it, we all have a stake in food. We all have skin in that game. If you frame the conversation in the right way, everybody can participate. And like many things in life, actually, we all want the same things. We want a safe, secure, healthy life. We want to be able to live in a safe, secure, healthy environment for ourselves and for our families, our children, our loved ones. And of course, food is the very thing that connects us. You know, food is at the heart of our celebrations. You know, how we choose to be together when we gather in communities. And we do that so often over food. It's one of the very, very, very few things that connects us and we have a shared experience. So, whether or not you're poor or rich, you will celebrate with food. Whether you're poor or rich, you will want to nourish your children in the best way you possibly can. There are so many things that connect us. Interestingly, and this was a kind of side benefit of this work, in a country which, I think, like yours, can feel incredibly polarized and at risk to populist politics that seeks to divide us over and over again. The conversations around food and food policy and how we might want food to be different in our communities, really united people. And it really showed people as being more thoughtful, more respectful, more insightful, more considered than very often we are led to believe right across the political divides. There's something very kind of visceral and you know heart centered about food that does help people connect. Getting quickly then into the technical stuff. How do we make decisions about policies? We said to people here are all the policy ideas. There are hundreds. There are hundreds of policy ideas. We can group them together in categories, health, nature, farming, and so on. And we invited people to categorize them using a really simple taxonomy. Should government's business just do it? This is obvious, just do this thing. Should they test it? It needs a bit more research. We need to test this out a little bit more, in more detail. Or should we debate it? Is this actually quite complicated, indeed contested? And we need a better process to making some choices around this. People were able to look through those policy choices with some real thought and insight. And there's remarkable consistency between people about things that we just ought to get on and do. Things like formulating children's foods in schools. That there ought to be some really clear guidelines about the quality of food that's available for children in preschool and school. That doesn't exist at the moment. People don't understand why on earth that doesn't happen. For some big issues, like should we introduce universal basic income for farmers to make sure they have a level of income that doesn't make them vulnerable to, you know, price gouging by companies? People said, oh, that's quite complicated. We'd have to work out what that would look like, what impacts that would have on the rest of society. But it's an idea worth exploring further. So they explored everything from really, really basic stuff through to big economic issues that could be really quite transformative in a country like ours. Bio Sue Pritchard is the Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission in the United Kingdom. Sue leads the organization in its mission to bring people together to act on the climate, nature and health crises, through fairer and more sustainable food systems, and a just transition for rural communities and the countryside. Sue's background is in combined research and practice in leadership and organization development for systems change, working with leaders across public, private and not for profit organizations, especially on complex partnership projects. She is a Trustee of UK's CoFarm Foundation and is an independent Governor at Royal Agricultural University. She lives on an organic farm in Wales where she and her family raise livestock and farm for conservation.

9 - Blocking fascism with citizen engagement by Australian Citizens Party

Jonathon Saenz - Texas Values - and I discuss the Cruz-Allred debate and the importance of voting down ballot. Terri Hall - Liberty in Action - brings local update on unhinged Kerr County Judge as well as reports on Transportation Hearing in Austin last week.

SummaryIn this episode, Clayton Cuteri delves into the intersection of consciousness and political discontent, critiquing the current political landscape and the disconnect between politicians and the citizens they represent. Clayton also calls out Lindsay Graham for his most recent INSANE comments.Clayton's Social MediaTikTok | Instagram | Twitter (X) | YouTubeTimecodes00:00 - Exploring Consciousness and Political Discontent01:02 - Critique of Political Representation03:09 - The Disconnect Between Politicians and Citizens05:39 - The Need for a Third Political Party07:19 - Failures of the Two-Party System09:55 - The Role of Money in Politics12:18 - The Arrogance of Political Leaders14:53 - Awakening the Citizenry16:34 - Taking Responsibility for ChangeIntro/Outro Music Producer: Don KinIG: https://www.instagram.com/donkinmusic/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44QKqKsd81oJEBKffwdFfPSuper grateful for this guy ^Send Clayton a text message!Support the showClayton's Campaign: Clayton24.comFREE 999 Meditation Challenge: Sign Up Here

Send me a Text Message about the show!In this episode, I interview Lindsey Cormack, associate professor of political science and director of the diplomacy lab at Stevens Institute of Technology, and author of "How to Raise a Citizen." We discuss the importance of teaching children about politics and civic engagement. Lindsey explains that civics education is often deprioritized in schools, leading to a lack of understanding among adults. She emphasizes the need for parents to take on the responsibility of teaching their children about citizenship and government. Lindsey outlines five key skills that children should learn: -how to register to vote, -the difference between primary and general elections, -understanding federalism, -reading the constitution, -and being comfortable with having hard conversations. We also touche on the misconceptions around the United States being a democracy versus a constitutional republic.From understanding the basics of government structure to the importance of voting and critical thinking, this episode is packed with insights and actionable advice. Whether you're a parent, educator, or simply someone looking to become a better citizen, this conversation is a must-listen.  I certainly learned A LOT!All About My Guest:Lindsey Cormackhttps://www.lindseycormack.com/Where to buy the book!How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It's Up to You to Do It)https://www.amazon.com/s?k=how+to+raise+a+citizenhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-raise-a-citizen-lindsey-cormack/1144821814Support the showKeep up with all things WeSTAT on any (or ALL) of the social feeds:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westatpod/Threads: https://www.threads.net/@westatpodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/westatpod/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/westatpod/Twitter: https://x.com/WeSTATpodHave a topic or want to stay in touch via e-mail on all upcoming news?https://www.westatpod.com/Help monetarily support the podcast by subscribing to the show! This is an easy way to help keep the conversations going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/768062/supporters/new

Government communications, specifically the kind meant to connect with a diverse mix of everyday people, are always evolving in their reach, variety, and challenges. “I've been in the government communications side of things for 12 years, and it has changed dramatically over time,” said City of Hickory Communications and Marketing Manager Dana Kaminske. “It's not just a press release anymore.” Kaminske, recently named Communicator of the Year by trade advancement group North Carolina City and County Communicators, in an interview with Municipal Equation said the city appreciates its media partners in helping to get the word out (about city hall programs, initiatives, proposals, announcements of immediacy, and so on), but there's plenty more for government communicators to do. “We as governments have to be very active, just like a business, to communicate what I'd say our air-quote product is, and that's our city, that's our town, our government and what we're doing,” said Kaminske. “We have to find what works really well for our community. I think everybody has to do that.” These points start off a great conversation between Kaminske and League podcast host Ben Brown about the modern and changing landscape of government outreach and information sharing, what the challenges are, what the public might expect, and what seems to be working in the state's array of cities and towns. How does your town approach it? // Municipal Equation is a production of the N.C. League of Municipalities, . Contact host/producer Ben Brown at . 

Today on Macrodose Election Economics, James is joined by Zack Polanski to talk through the Green Party's current campaign, and their ideas for economic, ecological and social futures. Zack has been the deputy leader of the Green Party since September 2022. He is a Londonwide member of the London Assembly, where he is chair of the Environment Committee, and the national spokesperson for the Green Party for Democracy & Citizen Engagement. TICKETS to our MACRODOSE LIVE event on July 26th: https://unionchapel.org.uk/venue/whats-on/versothe-dig-live-podcast-with-jeremy-corbyn-laleh-khalili  A massive thank you to all of our existing Patreon subscribers. You can support the show at: patreon.com/Macrodose We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or get in touch at ⁠⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk ⁠⁠

Our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Luisa Bravo, founder and president of City Space Architecture. They discuss principles for designing inclusively and creating moments for sharing and togetherness, and how it takes a village to create successful public spaces – including the importance of working with collaborators that might not agree with you.ReferencesCity Space Architecture: https://www.cityspacearchitecture.org/Mastering Public Space Magazine: https://www.masteringpublicspace.org/Ascoli Piceno: https://www.italymagazine.com/ascoli-picenoJan Gehl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_GehlLife Between Buildings by Jan Gehl: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5597655-life-between-buildingsThe Journal of Public Space: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jpsMuseo Spazio Pubblico: https://www.museospaziopubblico.it/The Overstory by Richard Powers: https://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/Buster Simpson, artist: http://www.bustersimpson.net/Presidio Tunnel Tops, San Francisco CA: https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/presidio-tunnel-topsOld Tree by Pamela Rosenkranz: https://www.thehighline.org/art/projects/pamela-rosenkranz/Shadow Tree by Elizabeth Keithline: https://www.pem.org/shadow-treeUpside Down Trees by Natalie Jeremijenko : https://massmoca.org/event/upside-down-trees/The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/717356/the-creative-act-by-rick-rubin/ Luisa Bravo BioDr Luisa Bravo is a public space scholar and passionate activist, a cultural entrepreneur and an academic. After completing her PhD (2008), she has taught, researched and lectured in Europe, the United States, Middle East, Asia and Australia. She is Adjunct Professor in Urban Design at the University of Florence in Italy and has 20+ years experience in the professional field with a specific focus on public space.  Luisa holds a strong record of academic publications, she has been the recipient of grants and awards, such as the Australia Endeavour Executive Award, and she served as keynote speaker in major international conferences in 30+ countries. She has actively participated in key United Nations summits, such as the Habitat III conference (Quito, 2016), the World Urban Forum (Kuala Lumpur, 2018; Abu Dhabi, 2020; Katowice, 2022) the first UN-Habitat Assembly (Nairobi, 2019) and two High Level Meetings at the UN headquarters in New York (2017, 2022). With her non-profit organization City Space Architecture, that she founded in 2013, she organized and curated conferences, seminars, workshops and exhibitions internationally aimed at promoting public space culture. Under her leadership, City Space Architecture became partner of UN-Habitat and was engaged in the General Assembly of Partners (GAP), Research and Academia Partner Constituent Group. Luisa initiated and is currently leading several public space projects, such as: The Journal of Public Space, the first, interdisciplinary, academic, open access journal entirely dedicated to public space; the Public Space Academy, the first, free, interdisciplinary educational program on public space; the Public Space Museum, a collaborative and transdisciplinary practice on public space; the web-magazine Mastering Public Space, an online and free resource with a curated collection of news on public space from influential and reliable sources.  She is Member of AESOP Thematic group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures, Member of the Board of Experts for the European Prize for Urban Public Space, Expert to the European Commission for the Horizon Europe Program and for the research project 'Public Spaces as Spaces for Citizen Engagement', promoted by the JRC Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy. She is also an expert evaluator for the European COST project and for the Fulbright Commission (USA), and a consultant for the Global Platform for the Right to the City for which she wrote the thematic paper 'Cities and Human Settlements with Quality Public Spaces'.Luisa Bravo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisabravodesign/City Space Architecture: https://www.linkedin.com/company/city-space-architecture/

Could the average citizen become more involved in the process of developing solutions to problems that affect them? Yes! But well before that, maybe we need to do a better job of understanding the nuances of these problems and articulating them to policy decision makers. In this episode of ATP, join Kripa Koshy (Programme Manager, Takshashila) and Anirudh Dinesh (Research Fellow, Burnes Centre for Social Change and GovLab affiliated with Northeastern University) as they discuss old and new ways of citizen-engagement for more effective governance and policy making. Do check out Takshashila's public policy courses: https://school.takshashila.org.in/courses We are @‌IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts/ You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured Follow the show across platforms: Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music Do share the word with your folks    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on GovComms 'From the Vault,' we revisit our conversation with a special guest, the CEO of the Open Government Partnership, Sanjay Pradhan.Sanjay joined OGP in May 2016. Prior to joining OGP, he served as the Vice President for Leadership, Learning, and Innovation at the World Bank, as well as the Vice President of the World Bank Institute, and as the Director for Governance.David Pembroke, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, discusses with Sanjay the mission of OGP and its role in addressing governance challenges faced by ordinary citizens. Using three examples from Nigeria, Ukraine, and Costa Rica, Sanjay illustrates the impact of OGP in the real world. The pair explore the true effect OGP has in making governments more transparent, participatory, inclusive, and accountable."When you think of democracy, you think of the ballot box, citizens cast their vote, but all these problems existed beyond the vote. They continue to not get these services. So OGP is a way to indeed focus on the ballot box, but also beyond the ballot box empowering citizens to shape and oversee their government every year, every day, not just once in a few years when we cast our precious vote. "They also delve into how digital technology has influenced the transparency of governments and how OGP can counter the rise of authoritarianism by tackling both domestic and external drivers.Topics discussed in this episode include:Building citizens' trustInclusion of marginalized groupsTaking democracy beyond the ballot box. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel with us to Chile to learn from Nicole Markwick, Co-Coordinator of Citizen Engagement for the Municipality of Viña del Mar. This episode covers everything from the importance of civic education and being connected to community groups, to how governments can use creative outreach tactics and tools like WhatsApp to expand their reach. Nicole also shared how trust building comes with vulnerability both from community members and local governments. Intrigued? Listen in!  

In episode 61, Jeff Bryant and Ambre Gooch, two of OMAG's attorneys, discuss some of the value-added services the Legal Department at OMAG provides OMAG members. In particular, Jeff answers questions posed to him about municipal budgeting and the Oklahoma Open Records Act.   Learn more by visiting www.omag.org.

Taking this country back one county at a time will be a long process there is no silver bullet but will require Citizen Engagement.

Joseph Jones, PhD, MPA, IOM is chief of staff to the president at Des Moines University. He is the former executive director of The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University. He is a community volunteer, local elected official, and nonprofit organization board leader. He is a lifelong introvert and spends his quiet time with his 7-year-old Newfoundland and an assortment of backyard chickens.Host and Founder: Lowell Aplebaum - CEO & Strategy Catalyst at Vista Cova Producer and Operations: Amy Hager - Strategy Advisor at Vista CovaVideo and Audio Editing: Kaelyn SandersMusic: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

How well do you understand the intricacies of election integrity? How aware are you of ERIC - the Electronic Registration and Information Center? Join us in our riveting conversation with Representative Rob Harris from House District 36 as we explore the inner workings of ERIC and its role in the voting process. We dive deep into the controversial aspects of the National Right to Vote Act, the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, and how ERIC is striving to expand voter participation. We also discuss why some states have chosen to withdraw from the ERIC program and our effort to stop its funding in South Carolina.Ever wondered about the vulnerabilities of the voting process? Curious about the implications of proposed bill S406? Buckle in as we continue our detailed conversation with Representative Harris. We uncover the potential risks of transmitting early voting information from the state SEC and the complexities behind electronic voting machines and poll watchers. Garnering insights into the importance of citizen engagement for maintaining election integrity, we discuss the benefits and training involved in volunteering as a poll worker. Come along on this enlightening journey as we discuss the challenges of maintaining election integrity and the role each one of us can play in this process.https://www.jacksonfamilyministry.comhttps://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/

Our episode today is about citizen engagement in climate governance. More specifically, we will talk about climate assemblies, where representatives of the public come together and discuss issues. Citizen assemblies in the climate sphere are becoming more popular, especially in the UK and Europe. But how do they work and why are they important in the context of the climate crisis? Can we all join a citizen assembly?Our guest is Stephen Elstub of the Tyndall Centre at Newcastle University. Stephen joined the Department of Politics at Newcastle University in 2015 and is currently the Director of Research. His main research interests are in the theory and practice of democracy, democratic innovation, public opinion, political communication, civil society and citizen participation, all viewed through the lens of deliberative democracy. He has been involved in research on Climate Assembly UK, Scotland's Climate Assembly, and the Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Crisis.Music by BenSound

The sixth General Assembly of the Association of African Anti-Corruption Authorities (AAACA) has begun its second day in Kempton Park. The General Assembly focuses on the global fight against corruption and money laundering, exchanges on national experiences in the fight against corruption and illicit financial flows, as well as the importance of cooperation and coordinated approaches for asset recovery in Africa. The subject of the General Assembly is "Promote citizen engagement in the fight against corruption and illicit financial flows, ensuring the African continent's holistic development. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Advocate Andy Mothibi Head of the Special Investigating Unit

Dr. Rayna Stoycheva, director of Retirement Security Policy at The Harkin Institute For Public Policy and Citizen Engagement, in Iowa, joins the "ROI" team for episode 519 to discuss "The Social Safety Net."The host for this episode is Jay Swords, and the history buff is Brett Monnard.Opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and the guest(s), and not necessarily those of KALA-FM or St. Ambrose University.  This program is recorded at KALA-FM, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, USA!

BONUS DISCUSSION:  Dr. Rayna Stoycheva, director of Retirement Security Policy at The Harkin Institute For Public Policy and Citizen Engagement, in Iowa, joins the "ROI" team for episode 519 to discuss "The Social Safety Net."The host for this episode is Jay Swords, and the history buff is Brett Monnard.Opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and the guest(s), and not necessarily those of KALA-FM or St. Ambrose University.  This program is recorded at KALA-FM, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, USA!

Welcome to the forth episode of The Fox River Story, a Season Two collaboration with Friends of the Fox River.In today's episode, Tia Aagesen and Gary Swick of Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR) talk about "The Fox," citizen engagement, and reclamation of the Fox River Watershed. As always, today's podcast just scratches the surface. Hopefully, it gets you (and many others) thinking how we can collectively invest our time and resources in watershed restoration projects. You might even want to look into attending an upcoming FOTFR meeting or event and get more involved. Who knows?For more information about the podcast, please visit The Elgin Watchman website, LIKE our Facebook page, and subscribe to our podcast using one of the many RSS Readers on our Buzzsprout podcast platform. Follow us wherever you get your other podcasts!For more information about Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR), please visit their website and LIKE their Facebook page. If you want to read more about the history of the Fox River, there is an awesome article titled "Our Waters, Our Fox" on the FOTFR webpage. CLICK HERE to read it.

Modern environments are awash with pollutants. The book Citizens of Worlds is the first thorough study of the increasingly widespread use of digital technologies to monitor and respond to air pollution. Drawing on data from the Citizen Sense research group, which worked with communities in the US and the UK to develop digital-sensor toolkits, author Jennifer Gabrys argues that citizen sensing promises positive change—and also collides with entrenched power structures. What are worlds? Who can do environmental monitoring? How might different means of computation tell a more complete story about pollution and its effects? In this episode, Jennifer talks with Helen Pritchard about Citizen Sense's collaborative research in northeastern Pennsylvania and southeast and central London.Jennifer Gabrys is chair in Media, Culture, and Environment in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. She leads the Planetary Praxis group, and Citizen Sense and AirKit projects. Her books include Citizens of Worlds: Open-Air Toolkits for Environmental Struggle; How to Do Things with Sensors; and Program Earth: Environmental Sensing Technology and the Making of a Computational Planet. Her work can be found at planetarypraxis.org and jennifergabrys.net.Helen Pritchard is professor and head of research at IXDM (Institute for Experimental Design and Media Cultures) at the HGK in Basel. Helen is an artist-designer, member of Citizen Sense, co-organizer of The Institute for Technology in the Public Interest, and a contributor to Critical Media Lab. More info: helenpritchard.info.Citizen Sense is a research initiative funded by the European Research Council that investigates the relationship between technologies and practices of environmental sensing and citizen engagement. More info: citizensense.net. The book Citizens of Worlds: Open-Air Toolkits for Environmental Struggle is an open-access title, available to read for free at: manifold.umn.edu/projects/citizens-of-worldsEpisode citations and references include:Alfred North Whitehead on breathing, subjects and worldsFrantz Fanon on combat breathingOpen AirAlexis Pauline GumbsLauren BerlantHeather Love / Feeling Backward

Have you ever wondered why we talk about candidates being on a “ticket”? What is the history of the secret ballot? Have elections always been run by government? Why should […]

Have you ever wondered why we talk about candidates being on a “ticket”? What is the history of the secret ballot? Have elections always been run by government? Why should […]

You know the "WHY" ! We deliver the Who, What, Where and When.

Public education is essential to a civilized society. It provides individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to fully participate in and contribute to their community. It also helps to create a more equal and just society by providing everyone with access to education, regardless of their socio-economic status or other factors. Public education helps to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and it can also foster a sense of civic responsibility and social cohesion. In addition, research has shown that public education has a number of positive impacts on society, including improved health outcomes, increased economic growth, and a reduction in crime rates. And yet, despite all the evidence that public education plays a crucial role in the development and prosperity of any society, it is under threat in Canada. So today, I play devil's advocate to Dr. Prachi Srivastava. Dr. Srivastava is a tenured Associate Professor, Western University, specialising in education and global development. She is also Member, World Bank Expert Advisory Council on Citizen Engagement, and Senior Research Fellow, NORRAG. She has been invited to provide expertise and commentary on COVID-19 education disruptions by the UNICEF Office of Global Insight and Policy, UNESCO, the BE2 education donor working group, and a range of global and Canadian civil society and non-governmental organisations. Needless to say, she could write the book on the value of public education but today we're going to write a different book. We'll call it the The Dummies Guide to Dismantling Public Education, where we explore the critical juncture in the education system and discuss the alarming issues that threaten to dismantle the well-functioning public education system in Canada. We break down the steps that those looking to dismantle public education might take and highlight the evidence that supports the importance of public education for society and individuals. We also discuss the motivations behind efforts to dismantle public education and the potential consequences of such actions.

Sarah interviews Paige Finn, Director of Marketing Program Operations at Accela, an industry leader in designing and delivering government software. Paige discusses working with clients to transition operational processes to digital, and the benefits of Accela's latest SaaS solutions.

Kerri Toloczko's address at the Miami National Conservatism Conference on September 13, 2022.

Ohio Senator Jerry Cirino: Senator Cirino who is also the Chairman of CRTL discusses the importance of defending the Heartbeat Law and what to expect during the 2022 Senate Lame Duck session.

Wednesday Oct 26th - Senior's Advocate Susan Walsh - Citizen Engagement & Pressing Issues by VOCM

In this episode of the Five Minute Advocate, Julie discusses government responses to community needs – and how long-term planning needs to be implemented. Off the back of years of natural disasters and the pandemic, it's more important than ever that people are listened to.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does our democratic system have room for everyone's voice? Are meaningful, thoughtful, and effective conversations being had between citizens? Is there trust and understanding between the general public and the government? Many people would answer “no” to all three questions, and this is what Peter MacLeod is trying to change.  Tune in to learn: Why surveys fail to capture enough information from the public How MASS LBP citizens' assemblies are selected and what they do Who “the government” is really comprised of The value of consensus views as opposed to majoritarianism MacLeod is the founder and principal of MASS LBP, an internationally recognized organization that works with western governments and corporations to strengthen public engagement in the democratic decision-making process and improve relations between citizens and government. MacLeod discusses the ins and outs of MASS LBP engagement campaigns, including outcomes, public feedback, concrete examples of deliberative democracy in action, and how to get involved. Press play to hear the full conversation and learn more at https://www.masslbp.com/.

The goal of Kansas City's Office of Citizen Engagement is to raise awareness of grants and funds available to residents for community projects. The city's new community engagement coordinator, Gary Jones, is at the head of that effort.

This episode of Peachtree Corners Life includes information on several large rezonings that will be coming before the city council over the next 45 days, including the Forum changes, plus how citizens can be aware and stay engaged when it comes to rezonings and the SPLOST vote in November and what that means for the city in the coming years. On this episode of Peachtree Corners Life, Rico is joined by City Councilmember Eric Christ. Christ has been serving on the City Council for over six years and he actively shares his experience and knowledge about the city in his newsletter and on social media to keep the public engaged in what's going on.

Many civic tech tools go largely unused because they are developed without understanding the context of the people they are meant for. Language, digital literacy, exposure, and other such factors are important things to look out for when developing a tech tool. We speak to Al Kags about some of the factors that affect the effectiveness of civic tech tools on the African continent. Al Kags is a marketing and communications expert, serial entrepreneur and a champion of government openness through data. Al is the founder of the Open Institute, an African organisation that works with governments and civil society organisations to promote open government and citizen engagement. Get in touch: Visit https://civictech.africa/ Follow @CivicTechAfrica on Twitter Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on Facebook Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on LinkedIn Share your civic tech initiative with us Open Institute · Barriers to citizen engagement

Many civic tech tools go largely unused because they are developed without understanding the context of the people they are meant for. Language, digital literacy, exposure, and other such factors are important things to look out for when developing a tech tool. We speak to Al Kags about some of the factors that affect the effectiveness of civic tech tools on the African continent. Al Kags is a marketing and communications expert, serial entrepreneur and a champion of government openness through data. Al is the founder of the Open Institute, an African organisation that works with governments and civil society organisations to promote open government and citizen engagement. Get in touch: Visit https://civictech.africa/ Follow @CivicTechAfrica on Twitter Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on Facebook Follow Civic Tech Innovation Network on LinkedIn Share your civic tech initiative with us Open Institute · Barriers to citizen engagement

Odie Donald joins the show to discuss how local government can improve its accessibility and service delivery through three specific examples of citizen engagement.The advantages and challenges of open budgeting, and how ARPA funding fits in.How outdated 311 systems can transform into improved services through better technology.How a “Mayors Walk” can also be an opportunity for non-elected professionals to meet people who are not as engaged in their local government and win them over with real-time fixes.Then Kenneth Williams gives the pulse of ICMA's Mountain Plains ahead of in-person regional events.Resources:ICMA Community Engagement 

Lynn Taylor, president of the Virginia Institute for Public Policy, describes in this episode of “Who's Counting?” how thousands of Virginians,  who saw disturbing irregularities in Virginia's 2020 presidential election, decided to […]

In Austin, Texas, the local government has taken steps to level the playing field and include historically marginalized groups, including people experiencing homelessness, in open government and policy processes. Guest: Daniel Culotta, Acting Chief Innovation Officer of Austin, Texas and Austin Civilian Conservation Corps Program Coordinator Co-Host: Nicole Anand, Political Economist, Participatory Designer, and OGP Civil Society Lead, Los Angeles -- For any questions, please email communications@opengovpartnership.org Twitter: @opengovpart Facebook: @opengovernmentpartnership LinkedIn: @opengovernmentpartnership Instagram: @opengovpartnership

Cleta talks with Christine Brim, Chairman of the Fairfax County, VA Election Integrity Task Force. Christine walks through how the task force came together in 2021, creating citizen engagement in the […]

Fran Rhodes with True Texas Project is my guest to discuss upcoming training available to grassroots conservatives. PLUS - Where, When and How do you draw a line in the Sand? What will be the consequences?

How do those leading the charge on carbon reduction bring everyone else in society along for the ride? Our guest is Professor Rebecca Willis, who leads on citizen engagement in climate change at Lancaster University. Her book on this subject is called 'Too Hot To Handle: The Democratic Challenge of Climate Change'.

Building a successful career as an anti-corruption expert can be seen as the enormous challenge of creating sustainable systems for accountability at a global level. Transforming the widespread and often accepted practice of corruption at many levels to systems based on transparency and accountability that foster increased participation and trust between citizens and public actors is an ambitious goal  that Blair Glencorse is dedicated to achieving in his work.   A seasoned international development professional and social entrepreneur with significant experience across issues of governance, accountability, institutional reform and political economy transitions, Glencorse is making governance work for people. Blair is an Echoing Green Fellow and also a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Anti-Corruption, the Lead of the Anti-Corruption Working Group of the C20, the global civil society network affiliated with the G20; and a member of the World Bank's Expert Advisory Council on Citizen Engagement. He has worked around the world with governments, the private sector, philanthropists and civil society to improve lives. In Episode 9 of Season 6, Glencorse shares with us how he fights corruption for a living and how he is disrupting the way anti-corruption work is conducted.  A key innovation of his organization is moving away from a focus on only naming and shaming to change behavior and policy. Instead, the Accountability Lab, prefers to name and fame those that are giving back and working with integrity. To hear the episode click here. Check out previous seasons & episodes of our Award-Winning Social Change Career Podcast. Key Links: Accountability Lab SAIS The World Bank   Related topics Need career advice? Need it now? Join PCDN Career Helping Line. Go ask your questions, help answer others and participate in fruitful discussion to advance your social change career. Almost 16k individuals and organizations already receive this amazing resource to keep them up to date and ready to put their passion into action. Subscribe to new and improved Daily or Weekly Newsletter This episode was brought to you thanks to the Rotary Peace Fellowship: Are you an existing or emerging peace leader looking to take your career to the next level? You might be eligible to receive full funding to pursue a MA or professional certificate in peace & conflict studies. Learn more about Rotary Peace Fellowships at www.rotary.org/peace-fellowships      

The buzz: “While upgrading all 160,000 streetlights in Los Angeles with remote monitoring and smart controls will cost about $14 million, the city is saving $8 million per year by switching to more energy-efficient LED bulbs (CNN Money). Digital communications and energy-efficient LED lighting are revolutionizing and transforming urban lighting infrastructures into information pathways with the capacity to collect and share data and offer insights that enable and drive the smart city. Is your city “bright” enough yet (pun intended)? The experts speak. Susanne Seitinger, Philips Lighting: “You can't think seriously about thinking without thinking about thinking about something” (Seymour Papert). David Graham, City of San Diego: “This is an adventure” (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). Marlyn Zelkowitz, SAP: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle” (James Keller). Join us for You Light Up My Life: Smart Cities, Smart Lighting – Part 4.

The buzz: “While upgrading all 160,000 streetlights in Los Angeles with remote monitoring and smart controls will cost about $14 million, the city is saving $8 million per year by switching to more energy-efficient LED bulbs (CNN Money). Digital communications and energy-efficient LED lighting are revolutionizing and transforming urban lighting infrastructures into information pathways with the capacity to collect and share data and offer insights that enable and drive the smart city. Is your city “bright” enough yet (pun intended)? The experts speak. Susanne Seitinger, Philips Lighting: “You can't think seriously about thinking without thinking about thinking about something” (Seymour Papert). David Graham, City of San Diego: “This is an adventure” (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). Marlyn Zelkowitz, SAP: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle” (James Keller). Join us for You Light Up My Life: Smart Cities, Smart Lighting – Part 4.

The buzz: “I'm late, I'm late for a very important date” (White Rabbit). Don't like sitting in traffic? No one does. More drivers around the world are enduring traffic delays due to soaring economic growth, residential housing closer to the urban core, and infrastructure that can't keep up with demand. Cities are looking at the costs: commuter stress, impacts on family and business, housing prices, demand for city services. Can smart citizens engage with governments and technology to get anywhere on time? The experts speak. Donovan Guin, IBM: “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us” (John M. Culkin). Jesse Samberg, IBM: “You can't always get what you want, but if you try some times, you just might find, you get what you need.” (Rolling Stones) Mike Eberhardt, SAP: “If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools” (Plato). Join us for Smart Citizen Engagement and Transportation: Get Me There On Time!

The buzz: “I'm late, I'm late for a very important date” (White Rabbit). Don't like sitting in traffic? No one does. More drivers around the world are enduring traffic delays due to soaring economic growth, residential housing closer to the urban core, and infrastructure that can't keep up with demand. Cities are looking at the costs: commuter stress, impacts on family and business, housing prices, demand for city services. Can smart citizens engage with governments and technology to get anywhere on time? The experts speak. Donovan Guin, IBM: “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us” (John M. Culkin). Jesse Samberg, IBM: “You can't always get what you want, but if you try some times, you just might find, you get what you need.” (Rolling Stones) Mike Eberhardt, SAP: “If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools” (Plato). Join us for Smart Citizen Engagement and Transportation: Get Me There On Time!

The buzz: “By 2030…8.3 billion people with an urban proportion of about 51%. So out of necessity, smart cities are needed …” (Dr Gráinne Watson, Fujitsu) In our mobile-first, digitally connected world, consumers expect to access digital services whenever and wherever they want. Citizens expect the same personalized communications with their city governments. Is this possible? The smart future city will put the citizen at the center of service delivery models. Is your city there yet? The experts speak. Donovan Guin, IBM: “All politics is local” (Tip O'Neill). Kirk Talbott, City of Atlanta: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog … build a wall…pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects” (Robert A Heinlein). Mike Eberhardt, SAP: “Walk a mile in my shoes” (Joe South, 1970). Join us for Smart Cities Citizen Engagement: Mobile, Connected and Digital – Part 2.

The buzz: “By 2030…8.3 billion people with an urban proportion of about 51%. So out of necessity, smart cities are needed …” (Dr Gráinne Watson, Fujitsu) In our mobile-first, digitally connected world, consumers expect to access digital services whenever and wherever they want. Citizens expect the same personalized communications with their city governments. Is this possible? The smart future city will put the citizen at the center of service delivery models. Is your city there yet? The experts speak. Donovan Guin, IBM: “All politics is local” (Tip O'Neill). Kirk Talbott, City of Atlanta: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog … build a wall…pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects” (Robert A Heinlein). Mike Eberhardt, SAP: “Walk a mile in my shoes” (Joe South, 1970). Join us for Smart Cities Citizen Engagement: Mobile, Connected and Digital – Part 2.