The Commons in Conversation
What can nonprofits and philanthropy do to bring Americans together and strengthen fractured communities? The Commons in Conversation gets answers in interviews with advocates, leaders, and thinkers, including philanthropist Reid Hoffman, author Barbara Kingsolver, and democracy scholar and nonprofit leader Danielle Allen. Join Chronicle of Philanthropy editors and writers as we explore solutions to division in America across lines of politics, race, class, gender, and more.
This podcast is produced by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an independent news outlet covering the $4 trillion world of nonprofits and grant making.
The Commons in Conversation
Danielle Allen on Democracy Renovations
If democracy is unraveling, what can save it?
Scholar, author, and nonprofit leader Danielle Allen joins The Commons in Conversation to talk about a range of solutions championed by philanthropy and nonprofits. These include reform of institutions like Congress and the Supreme Court, investment in civics education, and a rekindling of civic spirit in local communities.
Allen leads the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and is director of Democratic Knowledge Project–Learn, a civics-education research project. She’s also the founder of Partners In Democracy, which advocates for democracy reforms.
Visit The Commons, a Chronicle special project exploring how Americans can come together, strengthen communities, and repair our torn social fabric. And sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Watch this interview on the Chronicle's YouTube channel.
Go Deeper
- Read Allen's essay in The Commons about the need to spend time and money renovating the institutions of democracy.
- See our analysis of grassroots democracy efforts nationwide: "As Washington Brawls, Betting on Communities to Fix What’s Broken."
- Take a look at the "Our Common Purpose" report and its followup, "Habits of Heart and Mind: How to Fortify Our Civic Culture."