I took several pairs of shoes in for repair the other day. Heels. Heels and soles. New stitching. The usual thing. I go to a small shop that is owned and operated by a very hard-working brother and sister team… Read More »
Category Archives: Perspectives
Discussion Impossible
A few weeks back I participated in a public discussion on education policy. It didn’t go very well. In fact, the experience served more as a cautionary tale or a lesson in what not to do rather than as an… Read More »
Make Your Own Path
Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs died this week, and there’s been a lot of talk about his life and his work. This was clearly a man who knew what he wanted and went out and got it (or, in his case,… Read More »
Some Limitations of Current Democratic Discussion*
Americans are privileged to enjoy perhaps the world’s strongest legal safeguards on the freedoms of speech, press, and assembly. Yet as undeniably important as these safeguards might be, they do not by themselves ensure either widespread or robust democratic discussion. … Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Tagged democratic discussion, information, limitations, limits, participation, public discussion Leave a comment
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Democratic Discussion, Public Discussion, and the Policy-Making Process*
Conventional views of the policy-making process are helpful–as far as they go. But they usually leave out a good deal, especially with respect to the potential role of democratic discussion. Consider, for example:
Emotions, habits, beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, norms, concepts,… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Tagged policy-making process, public discussion, purpose, usefulness Leave a comment
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Democratic Deliberations and Self-Interest
I am currently taking a special topics course on Citizenship Learning, Participatory Democracy, and Social Change. Even before starting the course, I knew I would be able to link much of what is studied in the class to things I… Read More »
Also posted in Education Tagged attitude, citizen discussions, communication skills, deliberation, facilitation Leave a comment
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What Does It Mean to Develop a Policy Possibility?
What does it mean to develop a policy possibility? And why do we spend so much time doing it in our sanctuary projects?
Most IF projects follow the same discussion process: the panelists first develop concerns that Americans may have… Read More »
Posted in Perspectives Tagged conceptual possibilities, contrasting possibilities, democracy, developing possibilities Leave a comment
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“Accidental” Public Discussions of IF Possibilities
Opportunities for discussion of IF materials present themselves in a variety of settings that are not directly organized by IF. Organizations are often looking for public interest programming and are accustomed to scheduling presentations at luncheons, conferences, and in-service training… Read More »
Contrasting Conceptual Possibilities For Public Discussion
The goal of IF is to promote thoughtful consideration of a wide range of contrasting conceptual possibilities for public policy in our selected areas of public policy concern. We try to achieve this goal by conducting in depth ‘sanctuary’ discussions… Read More »
Wiki Discussions?
One of the new possibilities we’ve been exploring at the Interactivity Foundation is the use of wikis for the discussion and development of material. We’ve set up a general wiki site, the Interactivity Foundation Wiki as… Read More »
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