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inCommon is the Participatory Governance Blog of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy. Here you will find information about the latest resources, studies, programs and discussions about Civic Engagement in California, throughout the nation and around the world. We hope that the case studies and technological innovations discussed here will spark new reflection and conversation regarding both what legitimate civic engagement looks like and why it is important for good governance, particularly at the local level.

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Civic Engagement in California

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Davenport Institute

(cross posted from our Golden Governance blog)

The Davenport Institute is excited to announce the release of a comprehensive survey of public engagement in California. Two new reports by Public Agenda provide new insights into the perspectives of local public officials and the leaders of civic organizations on the state of public participation in local government decision making in California.

The reports document and analyze the results of research with more than 1,400 individuals conducted by Public Agenda in partnership with the Institute for Local Government and Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at Pepperdine University. This study was funded by The James Irvine Foundation.

Significantly, for CA public sector leaders, the survey found that 8 in ten say they’re interested in learning more about public engagement practices that have worked elsewhere and 85 percent report that their views toward public engagement have changed since their careers began. Many say they have come to understand and value public engagement more over time.

The research indicates that public meetings often do not meet the needs of residents or local officials, and that large segments of the public are often missing from the decision-making process—especially low-income populations, immigrants, and young people. Officials and civic leaders share concern for a disconnect between the public and local decision makers, and desire greater public participation and stronger collaboration.

These and related findings, as well as recommendations for improving public engagement, may be of interest to multiple parties involved with public engagement in and beyond California. Audiences include local public officials, leaders of civic and community-based organizations, and funders investing in civic engagement or community development.

You can download research highlights in a highly visual infographic, as well as the two full reports: “Testing the Waters” provides perspectives from local officials and “Beyond Business as Usual” offers civic leader points of view at the Davenport Institute website here.

Executive summaries are also available for both reports.

Posted in California, Civil Society, Political Reform | Leave a comment

New Engagement Guide from CA Fwd

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Davenport Institute

CA Forward has recently released a new online took designed to help local governments improve collaboration and innovation with their residents:

There is no magic shortcut to collaboration. But now there is an easy-to- follow handbook distilled from the hard-won experience of successful community collaborations across California. It pulls no punches. It cites the triumphs and the setbacks, pointing out pitfalls along the way. Building successful partnerships to solve community problems and improve local quality of life is not easy. But with the Handbook for Community Solutions, a new online tool from California Forward, you will have a road map for the route to success.

You can read more about the handbook, and the need for collaboration, here.  You can download the guidebook here.

Posted in California, City, Online, Training | Leave a comment

Breakthrough Innovation in Government

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Davenport Institute

A recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review takes a look at why breakthrough innovation has largely been the purview of the private sector – and how that may be changing:

Incremental innovations occur everywhere, but breakthrough innovations—the kind that leverage new technologies and business models to drive down costs, increase accessibility, and improve services—have tended to remain the province of the private sector. Returnseeking investors and entrepreneurs reap the financial rewards of changing the world by tearing down the structures of old industries.

Fortunately, that type of innovation is beginning to trickle into government as well. Leaders inside the public sector are slowly learning to pursue these major breakthroughs without the benefit of the profit motives that drive entrepreneurs elsewhere.

You can read more here.

 

Posted in City, Political Reform | Leave a comment