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
The Six Strategies and Thirty-One Recommendations
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
Topics
Related
Project
Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship
Chairs
Danielle Allen, Stephen B. Heintz, and Eric P. Liu
Publications
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 |
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 M. 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, , 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
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NOV 5, 2021
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OCT 27, 2021
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Academy Receives $1M Grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to Strengthen Democracy
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The Harvard Crimson
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MAR 16, 2021
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Bulletin
Does Meritocracy Destroy the Common Good?
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The Ambitious Plan To Save Democracy
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Source
KUNM
Academy Article
Message from Our Common Purpose Cochairs Celebrating Election Workers
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The New Yorker
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Opinion: There is no more important step in Biden’s first 100 days than this
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CNN Opinion
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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
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Vote for president and the Senate. But pay attention to these reforms on state ballots, too.
Source
The Washington Post
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The Fulcrum
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Make the Supreme Court Less Political. Put Term Limits on Justices.
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Real Clear Policy
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OCT 2020
America’s Plastic Hour Is Upon Us
Source
The Atlantic
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Amanpour and Company features Our Common Purpose
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Amanpour and Company
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A Playbook for Regaining Our Common Purpose
Source
The Art of Association
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The justices themselves can turn down the heat — by creating their own term limits
Source
The Washington Post
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Revitalizing Democracy During COVID-19 and Beyond
Source
AMA Journal of Ethics
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Our Towns: Three Guides to the Next America
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The Atlantic
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Source
USA Today
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Vox
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WRONG WAY?
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Anniston Star (Alabama)
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Daily Yonder
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Source
Politico
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VISION | Knight Foundation
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Here are a whole bunch of good ideas to reform our democracy
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We seek reforms to policing. But something even deeper needs repair.
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The situation is dire. We need a better normal at the end of this — and peace.
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The Washington Post