American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good
Since its founding, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has worked to promote a “strong and virtuous” nation. Today this effort involves projects designed to advance the state of scholarship about the nation’s institutions and to develop innovative solutions to problems facing American society. Projects in this area interpret the term “institution” broadly, focusing on all of the constituent elements of government and civil society. These projects seek to examine the impact of institutions on broad sectors of American society. They address how individual citizens interact with social structures, how these experiences prepare people to make a positive contribution to a diverse America, and how these institutions are changing and might operate differently in the twenty-first century. The Academy shares this research through publications, conferences, and active outreach.
Program Advisory Committee
CHAIR
Frances McCall Rosenbluth
Yale University
MEMBERS
Danielle Allen
Harvard University
Thomas Bender
New York University
Alan M. Dachs
Fremont Group
Lee Epstein
Washington University in St. Louis
Susan Hanson
Clark University
Antonia Hernández
California Community Foundation
William Poorvu
Harvard Business School
Kenneth Prewitt
Columbia University
James M. Stone
Plymouth Rock Companies
PROJECT
Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship
The Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship is a multiyear initiative that will develop a plan of action for identifying and promoting the values, behaviors, and skills needed for effective citizenship and civic participation in a twenty-first-century democracy. The Commission will create a working definition of effective citizenship and compile data on current practices. The Commission will also identify factors that encourage or impede civic engagement, highlighting promising local initiatives around the country and recommending steps that communities, institutions, and individuals can take to promote engaged citizenship. The Commission plans to meet four times over the course of its term; the first meeting took place in April 2018 and the second was held in September 2018. The Commission will publish several papers on key facets related to the practice of citizenship and will set an agenda for future research. The release of the Commission’s final report and recommendations will take place in early 2020.
COMMISSION CHAIRS
Danielle Allen
Harvard University
Stephen Heintz
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Eric Liu
Citizen University; Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program
COMMISSION MEMBERS
Sayu Bhojwani
The New American Leaders Project
danah boyd
Data & Society
Caroline B. Brettell
Southern Methodist University
David B. Brooks
New York Times Company
David Campbell
University of Notre Dame
Lisa Conn
Icebreaker
Alan M. Dachs
Fremont Group
Dee Davis
Center for Rural Strategies
Stacy Donohue
The Omidyar Network
Jonathan Fanton
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Lisa Garcia Bedolla
University of California, Berkeley
Sam Gill
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Marie Griffith
Washington University in St. Louis
Hahrie Han
University of California, Santa Barbara
Antonia Hernández
California Community Foundation
Wallace Jefferson
Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP
Joseph Kahne
University of California, Riverside
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg
Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, Tufts University
Yuval Levin
National Affairs
Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer
National Institute for Civil Discourse
Martha McCoy
Everyday Democracy
Lynn Nottage
Columbia University School of the Arts
Steven Olikara
Millennial Action Project
Norman Jay Ornstein
American Enterprise Institute
Bob Peck
FPR Partners
Pete Peterson
Pepperdine University
Miles Rapoport
Harvard University
Michael Schudson
Columbia University School of Journalism
Sterling Speirn
National Conference on Citizenship
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco
University of California, Los Angeles
Ben Vinson
Case Western Reserve University
Diane P. Wood
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Judy Woodruff
MacNeil/Lehrer Productions
Ethan Zuckerman
Center for Civic Media, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PROJECT STAFF
Paul Erickson
Gabriela Farrell
Darshan Goux
Natoschia Scruggs
FUNDER
S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation
Project Meetings
Meeting of the Commission
September 17–18, 2018
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
New York City
The second meeting of the full Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship focused on refinement of the Commission’s guiding assumptions and theory of action as well as responses to the work plans of the Commission’s three working groups: Data and Indicators, Engagement Design, and Crosswalks between Civic and Social Engagement. In addition, the Commission developed a plan of action for conducting a range of conversations with Americans around the country and identified a framework for those discussions.
MEETING CHAIRS
Danielle Allen
Harvard University
Stephen Heintz
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Eric Liu
Citizen University; Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program
GUEST SPEAKER
Nuala O’Connor
Center for Democracy and Technology; Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and Democracy
Roundtable Discussion
December 4, 2018
The Cosmos Club
Washington, D.C.
This roundtable discussion offered Commission Cochairs and staff the opportunity to gain insights from Washington-area Academy members and to test some of the Commission’s working hypotheses. In particular, the conversation focused on what areas in the field of civic engagement and citizenship have been well covered by previous groups, and where the Commission could make new contributions.
MEETING CHAIRS
Jonathan Fanton
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Steven Knapp
George Washington University
Framework Development Workshop
February 6, 2019
House of the Academy
Cambridge, MA
The Commission held a one-day workshop to gain insight from experts into the background of the most important recommendations in four areas of focus: fostering a healthy and energetic civil society; advocating for ways to make political institutions more responsive to citizens; identifying and promoting the values, norms, and narratives that support a healthy democratic civil society and healthy political institutions; and highlighting initiatives in K-12 education and lifelong learning that can provide ongoing reinforcement for a vibrant democratic society.
MEETING CHAIRS
Danielle Allen
Harvard University
Stephen Heintz
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Eric Liu
Citizen University; Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program
GUEST SPEAKERS
Louise Dubé
iCivics
Mark Gearan
Institute of Politics, Harvard University
Joseph Kahne
University of California, Riverside
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg
Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, Tufts University
Alan Khazei
Be the Change
Peter Levine
Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University
John Pudner
Take Back Our Republic
Miles Rapoport
Harvard Kennedy School
Rob Richie
FairVote
Shirley Sagawa
Service Year Alliance
Bryan Stevenson
Equal Justice Initiative
Ian Vandewalker
Brennan Center for Justice, New York University
Ethan Zuckerman
Center for Civic Media, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Meeting of the Commission
April 1–2, 2019
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
The third meeting of the full Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship represented the shift of the Commission’s focus from information gathering to shaping recommendations. Feedback from the numerous engagements conducted around the country helped guide a discussion of potential recommendations (and the connections between them) that would gain bipartisan support for the Commission’s report and would maximize impact at multiple levels of American society.
MEETING CHAIRS
Danielle Allen
Harvard University
Stephen Heintz
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Eric Liu
Citizen University; Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program
Listening Sessions
In order to gather information about civic engagement initiatives around the country, the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship has been holding listening sessions in communities from coast to coast to hear from business leaders, grassroots organizers, refugees, elected officials, college students, community and civic leaders, Americans with disabilities, and educators. The Commission is committed to hearing a range of voices in order to inform a final report and recommendations that reflect the views of a diverse array of Americans on what it means to live in a twenty-first-century democracy. In addition to gaining valuable insights into what is both inhibiting and encouraging civic engagement, the Commission has built through these engagements a wide network of partner organizations that can help disseminate the final recommendations when they are issued in 2020.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Focus groups with two groups of non-voters
September 5, 2018
Bar Harbor, Maine
Online survey of local citizens (organized by National Institute for Civil Discourse)
October 2018
Los Angeles, California
Pepperdine University–West LA Campus Discussion with right-leaning activists and community leaders
January 10, 2019
Calabasas, California
Pepperdine University–Calabasas Campus Conversation with municipal employees and elected officials
January 11, 2019
Los Angeles, California
Summit with local thought leaders
January 12, 2019
Los Angeles, California
(hosted by California Community Foundation)
Lunch meeting with community organizers and grassroots leaders
January 12, 2019
Lowell, Massachusetts
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association
Discussion with Cambodian refugees (under the age of forty)
February 20, 2019
Annapolis, Maryland
United States Naval Academy
Classroom discussion with United States Naval Academy midshipmen
February 21, 2019
Annapolis, Maryland
United States Naval Academy
Meeting with United States Naval Academy faculty (civilian and officers)
February 21, 2019
Lowell, Massachusetts
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association
Discussion with Cambodian refugees (over the age of forty)
February 22, 2019
Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
Dover-Foxcroft Town Hall
Community discussion with AARP members
February 26, 2019
Bangor, Maine
Bangor Public Library
Small group discussion with local residents
February 26, 2019
Ellsworth, Maine
Ellsworth Public Library
Small group discussion with community leaders
February 27, 2019
Lowell, Massachusetts
Private home
Discussion with political and civic leaders
February 28, 2019
Lowell, Massachusetts
International Institute of New England
Discussion with Congolese refugees
March 4, 2019
Dallas, Texas
Southern Methodist University
Focus group with Chinese immigrants
March 9, 2019
Greensboro, North Carolina
Independent Voting
Focus group with independent voters
March 11, 2019
Spokane, Washington
Whitworth College
Story circle and group discussion with students, faculty, and community members
March 14, 2019
Dallas, Texas
Southern Methodist University
Focus group with Indian immigrants
March 16, 2019
New York, New York
Union Theological Seminary
Group discussion with local faith leaders
March 20, 2019
New York, New York
Union Theological Seminary
Group discussion with Union Theological Seminary students and recent graduates
March 20, 2019
New York, New York
Exodus Transitional Community
Small group discussion with formerly incarcerated residents and leaders
March 21, 2019
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Women Organizing Women Network
Group discussion with Somali immigrant women
March 22, 2019
St. Paul, Minnesota
Knight Foundation
Conversation with community leaders
March 22, 2019
Lowell, Massachusetts
International Institute of New England
Discussion with Afghani refugees
April 11, 2019
Akron, Ohio
Knight Foundation & Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition
Focus group with community leaders
April 12, 2019
Cleveland, Ohio
National Institute for Civil Discourse
America Speaks community summit
April 13, 2019
Paoli, Indiana
Center for Rural Engagement, Indiana University
Conversation with rural community leaders
April 16, 2019
Farmville, Virginia
Longwood University
Three group discussions with Longwood University faculty and staff
April 16–17, 2019
Farmville, Virginia
Longwood University
Sociology class discussion with undergraduates
April 16, 2019
Farmville, Virginia
Moton Civil Rights Museum
Conversation with community leaders
April 16, 2019
Lexington, Kentucky
Knight Foundation & Blue Grass Community Foundation
Group discussion with recent immigrants
April 23, 2019
Lexington, Kentucky
Offices of Frost Brown Todd
Discussion with conservative activists
April 23, 2019
Lexington, Kentucky
Knight Foundation & Blue Grass Community Foundation
Conversation with Moms for McGrath activists
April 23, 2019
Lexington, Kentucky
Knight Foundation & Blue Grass Community Foundation
Group discussion with young philanthropists
April 24, 2019
Lexington, Kentucky
Knight Foundation & Blue Grass Community Foundation
Conversation with grassroots activists and organizers
April 24, 2019
Lexington, Kentucky
Knight Foundation & Bluegrass Community Foundation
Group discussion with young professionals of color
April 24, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
Ability 360
Conversation with community members with disabilities
May 1, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
Independent Voting & Highground Public Affairs
Group discussion with independent voters
May 1, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
Vitalyst Health Foundation & Center for the Future of Arizona
Conversation with local civic leaders
May 2, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
Opportunity Youth United
Discussion with young community residents (under the age of twenty-five)
May 2, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service, Arizona State University & Center for the Future of Arizona
Discussion with participatory budgeting activists
May 3, 2019
Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Conversations with conservative thought leaders
June 5, 2019
PROJECT
Making Justice Accessible
The two projects of the Making Justice Accessible initiative address the challenge of providing legal services for low-income Americans. The first project, on Data Collection and Legal Services for Low-Income Americans, will identify the sources of existing data on legal services and unrepresented civil litigation nationwide. The project will also create a blueprint for future data collection efforts, including establishing a research agenda for scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers. Participants include representatives of the courts, legal aid providers, and foundations as well as legal scholars and social scientists. The second project, on Designing Legal Services for the 21st Century, will gather information about the national need for improved legal access and advance a set of clear, national recommendations for closing the “justice gap” between supply of and demand for legal services.
An open-access issue of Dædalus on “Access to Justice,” published in Winter 2019, provides a multidisciplinary examination of this crisis, from the challenges of providing quality legal assistance to more people, to the social and economic costs of an often unresponsive legal system, to the opportunities for improvement offered by new technologies, professional innovations, and fresh ways of thinking about the crisis. The two projects of this initiative and the issue of Dædalus emerged from a 2015 symposium sponsored by the Academy’s Exploratory Fund on the state of legal services for low-income Americans.
Data Collection and Legal Services for Low-Income Americans
PROJECT CHAIRS
Mark Hansen
University of Chicago
Rebecca Sandefur
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Designing Legal Services for the 21st Century
PROJECT CHAIRS
John Levi
Legal Services Corporation; Sidley Austin LLP
Martha Minow
Harvard Law School
Kenneth Frazier
Merck & Co.
PROJECT STAFF
John Tessitore
Natalia Carbullido
FUNDER
David M. Rubenstein Enhancement Fund
Project Publication
“Access to Justice,” Dædalus
edited by Lincoln Caplan, Lance Liebman & Rebecca Sandefur (2019)
Project Meetings
Data Collection and Legal Services for Low-Income Americans
June 26–27, 2018
House of the Academy
Cambridge, MA
Participants discussed opportunities for improved data collection by legal service providers and the legal profession, pilot projects around the country, and the challenges of federal data collection.
MEETING CHAIRS
Rebecca Sandefur
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mark Hansen
University of Chicago
Designing Legal Services for the 21st Century
July 17–18, 2018
House of the Academy
Cambridge, MA
During this project meeting, participants discussed the state of legal services, focusing on needs related to health care, family law, housing law, and services for veterans, as well as the potential impact of technological innovation.
MEETING CHAIRS
Martha Minow
Harvard Law School
John Levi
Legal Services Corporation; Sidley Austin LLP
Subcommittee Meetings: Data Collection and Legal Services for Low-Income Americans
Essential Facts about Civil Justice
March 1, 2019 • April 18, 2019
This subcommittee is developing a short monograph that identifies the essential facts that should be collected about civil justice activity and the entities that are best placed to collect that information.
MEETING CHAIR
Rebecca Sandefur
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Model Data Access Standards
March 1, 2019 • April 25, 2019
This group is developing a set of data access standards that should guide access to and use of civil justice data for research purposes. In addition to developing the standards themselves, the group may decide to develop materials that would facilitate the enactment of those standards, such as model memoranda of understanding between researchers and those who collect civil justice data, or guidance about contract terms between justice sector organizations and service vendors.
MEETING CHAIR
Erika Rickard
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Subcommittee Meetings: Designing Legal Services for the 21st Century
Veterans Subcommittee Meetings
February 15, 2019 • April 14, 2019
MEETING CHAIRS
Nan Heald
Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Martha Minow
Harvard Law School
Housing Subcommittee Meetings
February 25, 2019 • April 24, 2019
MEETING CHAIRS
Colleen Cotter
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Diane P. Wood
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Innovation Subcommittee Meetings
March 8, 2019 • April 25, 2019
MEETING CHAIRS
Elizabeth Chambliss
University of South Carolina School of Law
Andrew Perlman
Suffolk University Law School
Family Subcommittee Meetings
March 11, 2019 • April 24, 2019
MEETING CHAIRS
Tonya Brito
University of Wisconsin Law School
Lance Liebman
Columbia Law School
Health Care Subcommittee Meetings
March 11, 2019 • April 25, 2019
MEETING CHAIRS
John Levi
Legal Services Corporation; Sidley Austin LLP
Allison Rice
Duke University School of Law
