Collaborative Politics

While traditional leaders often hoarded power, new leaders need to share power and share the public agenda. While governmental leadership is part of what makes democracy work, it is not the whole of it: businesss, nonprofits, and citizens all need to participate in public deliberations about social issues. The role of governmental leadership is to convene this discussion, not control it.

Collaboration is often the best strategy because our worst problems are increasingly intertwined, and as long as Americans are disconnected, the possibilities for rebuildling our society are slim.

When people do not have the opportunity to connect to meaningful power and participate in public life effectively, they learn to act irresponsibly.

The most important contribution our culture has to offer the world is the vision and values of a democratic society. Having a vibrant culture of conversations among groups of people can develop social capital and relationships. Our goal should be to strengthen democratic culture through the development of civil society and citizenship - through conversation and negotiation.

A community without regular interaction among citizens is less a community than a random collection of people. Without active participation, it is difficult for a community to agree on what problems to address and how to move forward collectively to solve them.

Citizen participation must be defined by the involvement of all people who have a stake in the future of the community, not simply those who have traditionally had power. Citizens must be empowered to have real influence over community decisions and must be involved in the decision-making process from the beginning. Citizens are too sophisticated to accept the role of only advising officials who may or may not accept their advice.