"Title","Author","Summary","Body","Date posted","Country","Ongoing","Start Date","End Date","","Staff Type","","","","","","","","","Facilitation?"
"History of citizenship in the United States","Thomas Wright Sulcer","An essay exploring the relationship of citizenship from the 1700s to the present

This is a brief history not of a people or nation or place but of a relationship -- the relation of citizenship -- between a person and the state and how it changed from colonial times to the present. In the 1700s, citizenship meant active political participation in local government, showing up at meetings, debating, volunteering in local government. Over time, however, political participation declined to the point where Americans are essentially apolitical beings divorced from politics. Citizenship has narrowed to signify only a legal marker meaning membership in America. How did this change? And what does it mean? While students of history and politics as well as political activists may find this thinking particularly helpful, free people can benefit. This essay examines the transformation, and argues that declining political participation has drawbacks, but that impressive advances for humanity in general have overshadowed the citizenship decline.","History of citizenship in the United StatesAn essay exploring the relationship of citizenship from the 1700s to the presentThis is a brief history not of a people or nation or place but of a relationship -- the relation of citizenship -- between a person...","Sat, 04/28/2012 - 19:53","United States","No","","","Economic Development, Human Rights, Gender & Racial Equality, Immigration, Political Institutions (e.g. Constitutions, Legal Systems, Electoral Systems)","","","","","","Representative Town Meeting, Deliberative Democracy","","","","No"
"Direct Democracy SA (""Never again vote for a 5 year dictator"")","Jim Powell","To educate the voters that there is an alternative to the current system","Note:  This article is in need of assistance with content and editing.  Please help us compete it.SummaryDirect Democracy SA is an attempt to reform the South African electoral system by using citizen advocacy to convince currently elected politicans to...","Wed, 12/28/2011 - 09:21","United States","No","","","Political Institutions (e.g. Constitutions, Legal Systems, Electoral Systems)","","","","","","","","","","No"
"The Second Constitution of the United States: A new and improved draft for the 21st century","Thomas Wright Sulcer","This proposed replacement aims to keep the best of the current Constitution (e.g. checks and balances, divided government) but with substantial improvements (e.g. foreign policy architecture, citizenship, rotation of offices.) My purpose in proposing an alternative is (1) to demonstrate that an improved Constitution is possible and (2) encourage leading thinkers to collaborate to draft an even better version and (3) to have the best version ratified by the American people. I have tried my best to make it nonpartisan. This document is public domain. Feel free to copy it without attribution. Sections have been copied from the current US Constitution. -- tom sulcer December 21, 2011","Note:  This article is need of assistance with content and editing.  Please help us complete it.SummaryThis is a proposed revision of the United States Constitution which aims to improve the current Constitution in areas such as foreign policy...","Wed, 12/21/2011 - 14:09","United States","No","","","Human Rights, Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice, & Corrections, Political Institutions (e.g. Constitutions, Legal Systems, Electoral Systems)","","","","","","","","","","No"
"Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy 2010","Paul Nollen","","Note:  This article is in need of assistance with editing and content.  Please help us complete it.The conference attracted more than 400 direct democracy professionals, activists, critics and scholars and produced the San Francisco Declaration on Modern...","Fri, 08/27/2010 - 18:17","United States","No","Thursday, July 29, 2010 - 17:00","Tuesday, August 3, 2010 - 17:00","Political Institutions (e.g. Constitutions, Legal Systems, Electoral Systems)","","","International Organization, Regional Government (e.g. State, Provincial, Territorial), Academic Institution, Non-Governmental Organization (Non-profit)","","","Citizen Conferences","International","","Non-Governmental Organization (Non-profit)","No"
"Conseils de quartier (France)","qmayne","","Note:  This article is in need of assistance with editing and content.  Please help us complete it.SummaryThis case study features Conseils de quarter, or ""neighborhood councils,"" which are infra-municipal participatory forums that serve as consultative...","Wed, 08/25/2010 - 16:50","France","No","","","Community Development, Political Institutions (e.g. Constitutions, Legal Systems, Electoral Systems)","","","National Government","","Open to all","Collaborative Governance","National","","Regional Government (e.g. State, Provincial, Territorial)","No"
"Democratic Innovations in Germany","Geissel",""," Problems and PurposeIn respect to the question of why participatory innovations are gaining support and what stimulates their development, democratic innovations are usually seen as a response to the general dissatisfaction with representative...","Fri, 05/14/2010 - 08:40","Germany","Yes","","","Political Institutions (e.g. Constitutions, Legal Systems, Electoral Systems), Planning (e.g. Urban planning, Transportation, etc.)","","","","","Open to all","Direct Democracy, Consensus Conference","National","","National Government","No"