Matt Leighninger
@mattleighninger.bsky.social
Describing, supporting, measuring innovations in democracy at the Center for Democracy Innovation at the National Civic League. Opinions are my own.
Reposted by Matt Leighninger
The word 'civility' has sometimes meant politeness and sometimes meant equality and political freedom.
With citations to Machiavelli, Wycliffe, Shakespeare, and others: peterlevine.ws?p=34156
With citations to Machiavelli, Wycliffe, Shakespeare, and others: peterlevine.ws?p=34156
June 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM
The word 'civility' has sometimes meant politeness and sometimes meant equality and political freedom.
With citations to Machiavelli, Wycliffe, Shakespeare, and others: peterlevine.ws?p=34156
With citations to Machiavelli, Wycliffe, Shakespeare, and others: peterlevine.ws?p=34156
Reposted by Matt Leighninger
NEW COLUMN www.democracy.community/stories/colu...
COLUMN I'm Now a Criminal Because of Where I Live | International Democracy Community
www.democracy.community
June 18, 2025 at 8:03 PM
NEW COLUMN www.democracy.community/stories/colu...
Ready to improve democracy in your hometown? Join us June 27 for our Democracy Innovations Workshop in Denver. Learn how to evaluate your community’s civic health, engage residents more effectively, and plan for long-term democratic renewal.
Register: www.nationalcivicleague.org/center-for-d...
Register: www.nationalcivicleague.org/center-for-d...
Democracy Innovations Workshop at AAC - National Civic League
FIDE – North America and the National Civic League are thrilled to offer a Citizens’ Assembly Capacity Building School, hosted by the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes of the Arizona State Uni...
www.nationalcivicleague.org
May 8, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Ready to improve democracy in your hometown? Join us June 27 for our Democracy Innovations Workshop in Denver. Learn how to evaluate your community’s civic health, engage residents more effectively, and plan for long-term democratic renewal.
Register: www.nationalcivicleague.org/center-for-d...
Register: www.nationalcivicleague.org/center-for-d...
Reposted by Matt Leighninger
"reaching the opt-outs" peterlevine.ws?p=33950
Rob Flaherty is right to observe that people who get their news from influencers tend to the right, but his solution (left influencers) won't work. Better to improve relationships between citizens and the human faces of institutions.
Rob Flaherty is right to observe that people who get their news from influencers tend to the right, but his solution (left influencers) won't work. Better to improve relationships between citizens and the human faces of institutions.
April 28, 2025 at 5:22 PM
"reaching the opt-outs" peterlevine.ws?p=33950
Rob Flaherty is right to observe that people who get their news from influencers tend to the right, but his solution (left influencers) won't work. Better to improve relationships between citizens and the human faces of institutions.
Rob Flaherty is right to observe that people who get their news from influencers tend to the right, but his solution (left influencers) won't work. Better to improve relationships between citizens and the human faces of institutions.
Want your official public meetings to be civil, participatory, equitable, and efficient? City managers and staff (and others) can join the 4-session virtual course we are producing with ICMA on Democracy Innovations for Better Public Meetings lnkd.in/gjrdd43R @civicleague.bsky.social
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
April 15, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Want your official public meetings to be civil, participatory, equitable, and efficient? City managers and staff (and others) can join the 4-session virtual course we are producing with ICMA on Democracy Innovations for Better Public Meetings lnkd.in/gjrdd43R @civicleague.bsky.social
I enjoyed working with Mike Scutari from Inside Philanthropy on this interview! Please feel free to argue with me, everyone, in the comments www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/the-nat... @civicleague.bsky.social
The National Civic League’s Matt Leighninger on How to Renovate “the House of Democracy”
In an interview, Leighninger discussed key issues animating the post-election civic engagement space, including dialing back polarization and making democracy more responsive.
www.insidephilanthropy.com
April 10, 2025 at 1:30 PM
I enjoyed working with Mike Scutari from Inside Philanthropy on this interview! Please feel free to argue with me, everyone, in the comments www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/the-nat... @civicleague.bsky.social
Looking forward to joining this distinguished group to talk about incivility and mistrust in local governance! www.nlc.org/events/addre...
Addressing the Rise of Incivility: A Town Hall Event
Across our nation, we are witnessing an increase in intimidating behaviors and incivility. To counter this trend, it is crucial to foster environments where respect, understanding…
www.nlc.org
March 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Looking forward to joining this distinguished group to talk about incivility and mistrust in local governance! www.nlc.org/events/addre...
"Too many of the interactions people have with officials — border officials, public school teachers, post office workers, I.R.S. agents and so on — leave them angry and frustrated. Most people’s attitudes toward government are determined by these interactions" www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/o...
Opinion | Democrats Need Their Own Version of Project 2025
A call for a reform project that is ambitious, radical and iconoclastic yet grounded in a genuine desire to fix the problems of American governance.
www.nytimes.com
March 2, 2025 at 4:49 PM
"Too many of the interactions people have with officials — border officials, public school teachers, post office workers, I.R.S. agents and so on — leave them angry and frustrated. Most people’s attitudes toward government are determined by these interactions" www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/o...
"...there was a prophetic radicalness to King’s statesmanship, and a telling critique of the American political tradition, that we also must reckon with, learn from, and respond to." Martin Luther King Jr. and the American Political Tradition open.substack.com/pub/artofass...
Martin Luther King Jr. and the American Political Tradition
A bonus post to commemorate MLK day
open.substack.com
January 19, 2025 at 4:28 PM
"...there was a prophetic radicalness to King’s statesmanship, and a telling critique of the American political tradition, that we also must reckon with, learn from, and respond to." Martin Luther King Jr. and the American Political Tradition open.substack.com/pub/artofass...
"The basis of a strong and resilient democracy is hands-on, local political engagement. That is an old theory, but current evidence reinforces it...Direct involvement is much more important than ideology or demographics as a predictor of trust." peterlevine.ws?p=33196 @peterlevine.bsky.social
tools people need to preserve and strengthen democracy « Peter Levine
People are more likely to trust big and distant institutions if they are involved in diverse, participatory groups, because that gives them a feeling of agency, teaches them that compromise is necessa...
peterlevine.ws
January 13, 2025 at 2:55 PM
"The basis of a strong and resilient democracy is hands-on, local political engagement. That is an old theory, but current evidence reinforces it...Direct involvement is much more important than ideology or demographics as a predictor of trust." peterlevine.ws?p=33196 @peterlevine.bsky.social
Looking forward to talking with friends and colleagues, including Mesa school board chair Marcie Hutchinson, this Wednesday at 1 EST - please join us for the AAA-ICDR Foundation webinar on “National Civil Discourse and Engagement" bit.ly/3NEDFGk
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: National Civil Discourse and Engagement Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
The AAA-ICDR Foundation invites you to join a lively conversation with leaders and grant partners working within civil discourse. Speakers will share their work and exchange ideas focused on reviving ...
bit.ly
January 12, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Looking forward to talking with friends and colleagues, including Mesa school board chair Marcie Hutchinson, this Wednesday at 1 EST - please join us for the AAA-ICDR Foundation webinar on “National Civil Discourse and Engagement" bit.ly/3NEDFGk
"I realize I have come to hold a cramped conception of democracy and need to expand it." www.theartofassociation.org/blog/three-w...
Three Ways I Have Updated My Priors Since the Election — The Art of Association
Elections are empirical events. In their wake, we need to update our prior understanding of the world. Here are the three biggest shifts I have made in my mental map of democracy in America in light o...
www.theartofassociation.org
January 3, 2025 at 2:44 PM
"I realize I have come to hold a cramped conception of democracy and need to expand it." www.theartofassociation.org/blog/three-w...
Proud to be working on this great project with our friends at the Bridge Alliance! thefulcrum.us/national-civ...
Equipping Local Leaders to Improve Civic Health & Transform Systems of Governance
The National Civic League and the Bridge Alliance are proud to announce the “The Healthy Democracy Project. This joint effort will work with two communities to build the skills of civic leaders and eq...
thefulcrum.us
December 31, 2024 at 4:31 PM
Proud to be working on this great project with our friends at the Bridge Alliance! thefulcrum.us/national-civ...
"Strong civic culture makes for inclusive, participatory, and adaptive democracies." This report describes how catalysts are strengthening civic culture in seven countries: Brazil, Haiti, India, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Poland, and the UK www.ids.ac.uk/publications... @NationalCivic
Global Practices of Building Civic Culture - Institute of Development Studies
Strong civic culture makes for inclusive, participatory, and adaptive democracies. This report presents the results of an appreciative inquiry with seven inspiring civic catalysts from Brazil, Haiti, ...
www.ids.ac.uk
December 20, 2024 at 4:27 PM
"Strong civic culture makes for inclusive, participatory, and adaptive democracies." This report describes how catalysts are strengthening civic culture in seven countries: Brazil, Haiti, India, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Poland, and the UK www.ids.ac.uk/publications... @NationalCivic
Looking forward to talking with colleagues at the Delaware Community Foundation, California Center for Civic Participation, and Drake University in Iowa about the Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map! Join us Wednesday at 2 Eastern:📷https://ow.ly/fQx150UrTvg
December 16, 2024 at 11:08 PM
Looking forward to talking with colleagues at the Delaware Community Foundation, California Center for Civic Participation, and Drake University in Iowa about the Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map! Join us Wednesday at 2 Eastern:📷https://ow.ly/fQx150UrTvg
"The community-based case studies in Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy signal a cultural shift away from the power of elite institutions and their penchant for top-down decision-making." press.georgetown.edu/Book/Partici... @NationalCivic
Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy
press.georgetown.edu
December 7, 2024 at 7:00 PM
"The community-based case studies in Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy signal a cultural shift away from the power of elite institutions and their penchant for top-down decision-making." press.georgetown.edu/Book/Partici... @NationalCivic
Latest updates from the Center for Democracy Innovation, including "Ten Steps Toward a Better Democracy," 15 more states on the HD Map, new public meeting formats, the Building Civic Bridges Act, AAC Award applications, and a funny cartoon, are here: drive.google.com/file/d/1JsXs...
CDI updates December 2024.pdf
drive.google.com
December 2, 2024 at 2:18 AM
Latest updates from the Center for Democracy Innovation, including "Ten Steps Toward a Better Democracy," 15 more states on the HD Map, new public meeting formats, the Building Civic Bridges Act, AAC Award applications, and a funny cartoon, are here: drive.google.com/file/d/1JsXs...
Renovating our democracy seems like a big job. But we are already devoting billions of dollars and countless hours of labor for campaigns. By making even a fraction of that effort to support innovation and reform, we can help Americans achieve the democracy they want. thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Ten steps toward a better democracy
No matter who they voted for on Election Day, it has become clear that most Americans agree on at least one thing: Our current form of democracy no longer works. Almost three-quarters of us agree that...
thefulcrum.us
December 1, 2024 at 2:03 AM
Renovating our democracy seems like a big job. But we are already devoting billions of dollars and countless hours of labor for campaigns. By making even a fraction of that effort to support innovation and reform, we can help Americans achieve the democracy they want. thefulcrum.us/governance-l...