Stories

Image by Democracy International of citizens participating in the European Citizens' Panel
European Union
€1.8 Trillion Through the Eyes of 150 Europeans
How would you allocate €1.8 trillion and shape the future of Europe for the next seven years? Defence? Digitalisation? Democracy? That’s exactly what 150 randomly selected citizens were asked when they gathered for the latest...
The United Nations
A call to democratic imagination: why we need Global Citizens’ Assemblies
The world is at a turning point. As crises mount — from climate breakdown to technological disruption and growing authoritarianism — our systems of global governance are not stepping up to the task. We are trying to solve 21st-...
Myanmar (Burma)
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES Post-Disaster Conunudrum
Myanmar's Earthquake Magnifies the Neglect of Local Communities
JALAUR RIVER
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES Dams, Disputed Lands, Contested Rights
Indigenous People in the Philippines Battle Over Control of Their Lands
RIVERSIDE
COLUMN The COG in Local Government's Future
A finalist for the "All-America City" award isn't a city at all. It's a council of many governments.
Vörå (Finland)
Letter From Vörå: The Song and Sauna of Local Democracy
A song from Finland's Swedish-speaking and oft-divided region goes to the Eurovision contest
EDITORIAL
The World's Greatest Comeback
Europe is now the leader of the free world.
photo via NCL
UNITED STATES
NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE Creating a Democracy Where People Are Heard
In Democratic Practice, It's Time to Go on Offense
Image of two people holding an EU flag
European Union
Enlargement Is the EU’s Strategic Compass. Here’s How to Use It Now.
There’s no easy way to say this: if the EU continues to stall on enlargement, it risks falling geopolitically...
CC 3.0. Photo by Sofiia at Adobe Stock
LVIV
NOEMA Ukranians Are Planning a New, Local Future for Post-Conflict...
With help from cities around the world, a democratic, "Locals First" model emerges.
Courtesy Mathews family
BEIJING
COLUMN 'If Your Mother Says She Loves You, Check It Out'
Learning journalistic and democratic skepticism through my mother-editor.
Photo from the Future of Where
VIENNA AND HOUSTON
FUTURE OF WHERE From Dead Mall to Urban Hotel
Returning the mall to the original Austrian vision.