Our Common Purpose
Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century
Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship
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American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Table of Contents
Strategy 1
Achieve Equality of Voice and Representation
Strategy 2
Empower Voters
Strategy 4
Dramatically Expand Civic Bridging Capacity
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Resources
Nuestro propósito común (Spanish) - PDF
(4.74 MB)
Our Common Purpose (English) - ODT
(10.77 MB)
Topics
Related
Project
Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship
Chairs
Danielle Allen, Stephen B. Heintz, and Eric P. Liu
Publications
Research Paper|
JUL 2025
Habits of Heart and Mind: How to Fortify Civic Culture
Research Paper|
OCT 2023
The Case for Supreme Court Term Limits
Research Paper|
DEC 2021
The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives
Authors
Lee Drutman, Jonathan D. Cohen, Yuval Levin, and Norman Jay Ornstein
Report|
JUN 2020
Nuestro propósito común
Research Paper|
FEB 2020
The Data Driving Democracy
Author
Christina Couch
Research Paper|
FEB 2020
The Political and Civic Engagement of Immigrants
Author
Caroline B. Brettell
Research Paper|
OCT 2019
The Internet and Engaged Citizenship
Author
David Karpf
Events
Event |
Our Common Purpose Champions Convening
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Stephen B. Heintz, Eric P. Liu, and Goodwin Liu
Cambridge, MA
Event |
How to Fortify Civic Culture in America
Featuring
Ben Klutsey, Eric P. Liu, Goodwin Liu, Laurie L. Patton, and Natalie Tran
Zoom Videoconference
Event |
Political Polarization and Political Violence
Featuring
Paige Alexander, Rachel Kleinfeld, and Marty Smith
Zoom Videoconference
Event |
Building Demand for National Service: New Insights from Public Opinion Research
Featuring
Lisa Garcia Bedolla, Kristen Bennett, Kaira Esgate, Josh Fryday, Goodwin Liu, Doris Matsui, Pete Peterson, and Betsy Super
Virtual Event
Event |
Supreme Court Term Limits: Rethinking Life Tenure on a Divided Court
Featuring
Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Sarah A. Binder, Stephen McAllister, and Diane P. Wood
Washington, DC
Event |
The Legislative Path to Supreme Court Reform
Featuring
Akhil Reed Amar, Charles Fried, David W. Oxtoby, Gabe Roth , Patti B. Saris, and Kimberly Atkins Stohr
Boston, MA and Online
Event |
Safeguarding American Democracy: Civic Literacy for a Secure Nation
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Louise Dubé, and James N. Mattis
Zoom Videoconference
Event |
The Promise of Proportional Representation for Democracy
Featuring
Andy Craig, Steven Olikara, Norman Jay Ornstein, Alora Thomas-Lundborg, and Grant Tudor
Zoom Video Videoconference
Event |
A Radical Old Idea: Expanding the U.S. House of Representatives
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Earl Blumenauer, Derek Kilmer, Yuval Levin, Norman Jay Ornstein, David W. Oxtoby, and Pete Peterson
Zoom Videoconference
Event |
Academy Members Lunch in Phoenix
Featuring
Stephen B. Heintz and Eric P. Liu
Phoenix, AZ
Event |
Bridging Divides in America
Featuring
Andy Barr, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Derek Kilmer, Farah Pandith, Laurie L. Patton, Eric P. Liu, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
What Does it Mean to be an American? Reexamining the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
Featuring
E. J. Dionne, María Teresa Kumar, John Shattuck, Danielle Allen, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Should the House of Representatives Be Expanded?
Featuring
Ruth Bloch Rubin, Lee Drutman, Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Kosar, and Yuval Levin
Video Livestream
Event |
How Higher Education Can Save American Democracy
Featuring
Melody C. Barnes, Ronald J. Daniels, Lisa Garcia Bedolla, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
American Democracy Under Construction
Featuring
Judy Woodruff, Hahrie Han, Wallace B. Jefferson, Yuval Levin, Norman Jay Ornstein, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Reckoning with Organizational History
Featuring
Claudia Rankine, John J. DeGioia, Susan Goldberg, Brent Leggs, Ben Vinson, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Finding a Shared Historical Narrative
Featuring
Danielle Allen
Online
Event |
Investing in Civic Education and Our Democracy
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Shawn P. Healy, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, David McCullough III, David W. Oxtoby, and Tammy Waller
Online
Event |
How Political Institutions Shape Outcomes and How We Might Reform Them
Featuring
Danielle Allen
Online
Event |
“Our Towns” Virtual Screening and Q&A
Featuring
Steven Ascher, Deborah Fallows, James Mackenzie Fallows, Jeanne Jordan, Dee Davis, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
The Ash Center Presents Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Stephen B. Heintz, Eric P. Liu, and Archon Fung
Online
Event |
Using Civic Media to Build A Better Society
Featuring
Danielle Allen
Online
Event |
Empathy and Our Future
Featuring
Eric P. Liu, Sherry Turkle, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Why America Needs Service, Now More Than Ever
Featuring
Kristen Bennett, Josh Fryday, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Darryl Lester, David W. Oxtoby, and Fareed Zakaria
Online
Event |
American Democracy and Civic Participation in 2021: A Conversation with Danielle Allen and Eric Liu
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Helene D. Gayle, Eric P. Liu, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Telling Our Regional Story: The Narratives that Unite and Divide in North Carolina
Featuring
David E. Price, John Aldrich, Phoebe Stein, William Sturkey , Terry Magnuson, and Paula D. McClain
Online
Event |
Reinventing Democracy for the 21st Century: A Humanities Day Discussion
Featuring
William G. Howell, Thomas B. Ginsburg, Tracey L. Meares, Susan Carol Stokes, Diane P. Wood, Eric Slauter, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Can We Rebuild Social Cohesion in the U.S.?
Featuring
David B. Brooks, Danielle Allen, Eric Klinenberg, Shaylyn Romney Garrett, and Robert David Putnam
Online
Event |
Does Meritocracy Destroy the Common Good?
Featuring
Michael J. Sandel, Anna Deavere Smith, T.J. Jackson Lears, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Youth Democracy Summit
Online
Event |
Democratic Citizenship: A Discussion with the Commission’s Leaders and Academy Members
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Stephen B. Heintz, Eric P. Liu, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Event |
Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century
Featuring
Danielle Allen, Stephen B. Heintz, Eric P. Liu, Judy Woodruff, David B. Brooks, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
News
Academy Article
May 29, 2025
Ahead of Nation's 250th, Monticello Exhibit Invites Reflection
Source
New York Times
Academy Article
May 28, 2025
Update on Ranked Choice Voting Legislation at Federal and State Levels
Academy Article
April 29, 2025
State Legislative Update: Independent Citizen-Redistricting Commissions
Bulletin
Our Common Purpose Champions Convening
In the News
January 16, 2025
Poll: Voters seek overhaul of Congress for a stronger democracy
In the News
How to Fix America's Two-Party Problem
Source
New York Times
Press Release
October 23, 2024
Tacoma, Washington Joins Our Common Purpose Communities Project
Press Release
September 26, 2024
Academy Releases Roadmap for Fortifying Civic Culture
Academy Article
March 29, 2024
Helping to Build Demand for National Service
Academy Article
January 2023
Our Common Purpose - Reflections at the Midpoint
In the News
December 21, 2023
American democracy is cracking. These ideas could help repair it.
Source
Washington Post
In the News
November 21, 2023
David Souter showed the Supreme Court how to free itself from politics
Source
Washington Post
In the News
November 7, 2023
Massachusetts should move local elections to even-numbered years
Source
Boston Globe
Academy Article
October 26, 2023
Event Celebrates and Considers New Publication on Supreme Court Term Limits
In the News
October 25, 2023
Bipartisan Legal Scholars Urge Supreme Court To Impose 18-Year Term Limits
Source
Forbes
In the News
October 25, 2023
US Judge, Scholars Urge Supreme Court Term Limits in Bipartisan Push
Source
Reuters
In the News
October 25, 2023
Law360: New Report Champions Term Limits For Supreme Court.
Source
Law360
Academy Article
October 5, 2023
General Mattis, Civics Education, and National Security
In the News
September 27, 2023
Danielle Allen on PBS NewsHour: I’m asking the American people to claim their power.
Source
PBS NewsHour
Academy Article
August 14, 2023
Our Common Purpose Inspires Conversation Series at Ohio Senior Center
In the News
April 15, 2023
Pros and Cons of Expanding the House
Source
Congressional Digest
Academy Article
February 10, 2023
Discussing Democracy and Civic Renewal in Arizona: Flinn Foundation Hosts
Academy Article
December 19, 2022
Academy Hosts Conference on Reinventing Democracy at the Local Level
Press Release
December 9, 2022
The Our Common Purpose Communities Project Launches: Lexington, Kentucky Inaugurates National Initiative
Academy Article
Democracy was a Big Winner in the Midterms
In the News
KET Interview with Renee Shaw
Academy Article
October 27, 2022
Statement Issued in Advance of Midterm Elections
In the News
October 25, 2022
See how your votes aren’t equal
Source
CNN
Academy Article
October 21, 2022
Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship Returns to Lexington, Kentucky
In the News
October 13, 2022
It shouldn’t matter so much whether Elon Musk buys Twitter
Source
New York Times
Bulletin
What Does It Mean to be an American? Reexamining the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
In the News
How social media has undermined our constitutional architecture
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
Connecting Communities: Libraries as Invisible Infrastructure
Source
NLC - National League of Cities
Academy Article
A Convening on the Power of Civic Infrastructure: A Community Solution with National Potential
Bulletin
Reckoning with Organizational History
Press Release
President Jimmy Carter Joins Majority of Americans in Supporting a Proposed U.S. Constitutional Amendment to Address Election Spending
In the News
Should we expand the House of Representatives? The Founders thought so
Source
The Hill
In the News
How to boost voter turnout to nearly 100 percent
Source
The Boston Globe
In the News
Philanthropy Can Help Build a Thriving Democracy by Building Up Programs and Places That Fuel Civic Involvement
Source
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
In the News
December 9, 2021
One way to reform the House of Representatives? Expand it.
Source
Washington Post
Academy Article
Developing a Youth Agenda for American Democracy
In the News
Use infrastructure dollars to support our democracy
Source
The Hill
Press Release
NOV 5, 2021
Reimagining Our Economy: A New Commission
Press Release
OCT 27, 2021
German-American Dialogue on the Political Responsibility of Universities
In the News
Political Polarization, Civility, and Deliberative Democracy: A Conversation with Carolyn Lukensmeyer
Source
Then & Now (podcast)
In the News
Biden will host an international summit on ‘democratic renewal.’ He should start at home.
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
Advice to Leaders on Strengthening Civic Culture & Trust in Government
Source
Federalism.US
Bulletin
Empathy and Our Future
Bulletin
A Conversation with Architect Jeanne Gang
In the News
Museums Can Renew America Through the Semiquincentennial
Source
American Alliance of Museums
In the News
Joint Series on Public Governance and Civic Engagement
Source
National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)
Press Release
APR 19, 2021
Academy Receives $1M Grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to Strengthen Democracy
In the News
Cochairs Call for Expansion of U.S. ‘Civic Infrastructure’
Source
The Harvard Crimson
In the News
Danielle Allen on achieving democracy’s ideals
Source
Democracy Works (podcast)
In the News
AmeriCorps service nurtures professional development, civic duty
Source
The Baltimore Sun
Academy Article
MAR 16, 2021
On the Passing of Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. (1925-2021)
Bulletin
Does Meritocracy Destroy the Common Good?
In the News
The Ambitious Plan To Save Democracy
Source
Moderate Party (podcast)
In the News
No More Normal: Our Common Purpose
Source
KUNM
Academy Article
Message from Our Common Purpose Cochairs Celebrating Election Workers
In the News
Pulling Our Politics Back from the Brink
Source
The New Yorker
In the News
Opinion: There is no more important step in Biden’s first 100 days than this
Source
CNN Opinion
In the News
Democratic Citizenship at the Chicago Humanities Festival
Source
Chicago Humanities Festival
In the News
Heintz Joins Panel on Strengthening U.S. Democracy
Source
Council on Foreign Relations
In the News
Vote for president and the Senate. But pay attention to these reforms on state ballots, too.
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
Meet the reformer: Sterling Speirn, promotor of 31 fix-the-system ideas
Source
The Fulcrum
In the News
Make the Supreme Court Less Political. Put Term Limits on Justices.
Source
Real Clear Policy
In the News
OCT 2020
America’s Plastic Hour Is Upon Us
Source
The Atlantic
In the News
Amanpour and Company features Our Common Purpose
Source
Amanpour and Company
In the News
A Playbook for Regaining Our Common Purpose
Source
The Art of Association
In the News
The justices themselves can turn down the heat — by creating their own term limits
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
Revitalizing Democracy During COVID-19 and Beyond
Source
AMA Journal of Ethics
In the News
Our Towns: Three Guides to the Next America
Source
The Atlantic
In the News
Why on this Fourth of July, America urgently needs to reinvent itself again
Source
USA Today
In the News
WRONG WAY?
Source
Anniston Star (Alabama)
In the News
Commentary: Fixing Democracy
Source
Daily Yonder
In the News
The radicalism of the American Revolution — and its lessons for today
Source
Vox
In the News
For Philanthropy to Achieve Its Goals, Democracy Must Work
Source
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
In the News
Tech companies are finally being shamed into action
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
Why Coronavirus Is an ‘Existential Crisis’ for American Democracy
Source
Politico
In the News
Rebuilding Trust in American Democracy
Source
BYU Radio
In the News
NPR On Point: Reimagining Democracy for the 21st Century
Source
On Point, National Public Radio
In the News
Etats-Unis : du « besoin urgent » de réinvention
Source
Le Monde
In the News
Democracy, Citizenship, and Community
Source
VISION | Knight Foundation
In the News
Here are a whole bunch of good ideas to reform our democracy
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
Trust In American Institutions Has Been Dropping For Decades
Source
NPR
In the News
Study commission calls for constitutional amendment limiting influence of money on elections
Source
Augusta Free Press
In the News
The Work of Democracy Starts Right Here
Source
The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)
In the News
Amid inequality and polarization, how can we strengthen American democracy?
Source
PBS NewsHour
In the News
We seek reforms to policing. But something even deeper needs repair.
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
America’s neck is broken. We can survive, but we have to act.
Source
The Washington Post
In the News
The situation is dire. We need a better normal at the end of this — and peace.
Source
The Washington Post