The Deliberative Democracy Consortium

deliberative-democracy.net is the online home of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium. The mission of the Consortium is to bring together practitioners and researchers to support and foster the nascent, broad-based movement to promote and institutionalize deliberative democracy at all levels of governance in the United States and around the world.

The activities of the Consortium are coordinated by an Executive Committee, chaired by Carolyn Lukensmeyer, president of AmericaSpeaks. Matt Leighninger is the Consortium's Executive Director. Task groups (listed below) carry out strategic planning and activities related to knowledge building, democratic governance, online deliberation and linking to government.

For a quick overview of DDC and its activities, please see the DDC Fact Sheet. For more on the accomplishments of DDC affiliates, see the affiliates page.

Since its inception, the Consortium has:

Developed new tools	Assembed new networks	Assisted federal agencies
The DDC has helped produce: The Deliberative Democracy Handbook The Journal of Public Deliberation The Deliberation Measurement Toolbox Mapping the Field of Deliberative Democracy (forthcoming) The Deliberative Agency: Opportunities to Deepen Public Participation	The DDC has convened: FedNet (a knowledge-sharing network of federal managers) The Researcher-Practitioner Network of the DDC ...and forged a strong working partnership with: LogoLink, a global network of practitioners from civil society organizations, research institutions and governments	DDC members have provided pro bono advice and assistance to federal agencies in the US and Canada, including: Centers for Disease Control Environmental Protection Agency National Nanotechnology Coordinating Office National Vaccine Advisory Committee

Central to our work is the conviction that the outcomes of deliberation result in qualitatively better, more lasting decisions on policy matters. Participation in such forums is a central to democratic renewal. Essentially, our view is that democratic deliberation is a powerful, transformational experience for everyone involved--citizens and leaders alike--which can result in attitudinal shifts toward the institutions and practice of democracy overall.

The Deliberative Democracy Consortium has embarked on an ambitious research agenda that will build knowledge around the actual impact of deliberation upon civic attitudes and behavior, and the sustainability of follow-on efforts. Our hypothesis in this work is that, with expanded application, increased frequency and greater visibility, deliberative democracy can invigorate and rekindle the civic virtues of trust, participation and responsibility.

Composed of more than 30 organizations working to renew democracy through citizen participation and deliberation, the Consortium is committed to the following goals:

• Help public leaders find the examples and resources they need to engage citizens
• Integrate research and practice in the field
• Integrate online and face-to-face approaches
• Articulate how democracy is changing
• Help to build a permanent infrastructure for deliberative democracy

Encourage research and practice to support all aspects of deliberative democracy

• Design of, and experimentation with, innovative deliberative practices
• Develop evaluation models and tools
• Relationship building, collaboration and convening within the field
• Create connections between the field of deliberation and other related fields
• Disseminate results to the public, decision-makers, academics, etc.
• Promote the philosophy and methods of deliberative democracy to all levels of government
• Increase the credibility and visibility of the deliberative democracy movement in the United States and around the world

Activities of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium are overseen by a diverse executive committee comprised of members with a range of experiences in fields closely linked with the deliberative democracy movement. (See right sidebar.) Key initiatives of the Consortium are carried out through Task Groups. Existing task groups include:

Knowledge Building. Identifies critical questions and collaborators to advance knowledge and practice in the field of deliberative democracy.

FedNet. Convenes federal officials from different countries to disucss ways of connecting democratic deliberation with federal policy-making. This task group is currently building resources for elected officials.

Online Deliberation. Builds knowledge and tracks innovation within the field of online deliberation. First product is the development of a deliberative democracy 'blog'.

Democratic Governance. Develops tools for leaders who are using deliberative strategies in their work.