Bøger i Brown Democracy Medal serien

As more and more communities turn to participatory budgeting as a means of engaging citizens, prioritizing civic projects, and allocating local, state, and federal funding, this cogent volume will offer guidance and inspiration to others who want to transform democracy in the United States and elsewhere.

Joan C. Tronto argues that we need to rethink American democracy, as well as our own fundamental values and commitments, from a caring perspective.

The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal is an initiative of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Pennsylvania State University. It annually recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce exceptional innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world.In this book, Albert W. Dzur argues that some of the most innovative and important work in democracy is taking place face-to-face and isbeing led by professionals who bring those involved into the decision making process. These "e;democratic professionals"e; create a culture that leads to better decisions and overcomes what he calls "e;civic lethargy."e; He focuses on how this democratic professionalism manifests itself in the operation of a wide range of public institutions, including schools and local government, as well as in the reform of our criminal justice system, from juries to prisons.

Jane Suiter is Director of the Institute for Future Media and Journalism and an Associate Professor in the School of Communications at Dublin City University. She studies participation and political engagement in the public sphere, including direct democracy and other modes of engaging the public in decision-making processes such as citizens' assemblies and journalism.

Why American Elections Are Flawed (and How to Fix Them) describes several major challenges observed during the 2016 U.S. elections. Pippa Norris outlines the core concept and measure of electoral integrity, the key yardstick used by the Electoral Integrity Project to evaluate free and fair elections.

The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal is an initiative of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Pennsylvania State University. It annually recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce exceptional innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world.Micah Altman and Michael P...

The Lawrence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal, presented by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world. The 2020 Brown Democracy Medal winner, Srdja Popovic, was a leader in the revolution that brought down the Milosevic regime in Serbia and he continues to help protestors around the world learn effective, sometimes humorous, nonviolent tactics. In 2020, he teamed up with Sophia A. McClennen to study the concept of "e;dilemma actions,"e; which offers a structured, strategic approach to fighting back against authoritarianism, as well as for defending democracy.

The Lawrence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal, presented by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world. Voting is foundational in a democracy, yet over six million American citizens remain stripped of their ability to participate in elections. Once convicted of a felony, people who complete their sentences reenter society, but no longer with the civil rights they once had. They may return to school, secure employment to provide for their families, and become law-abiding, tax-paying citizens-sometimes for decades-and still be denied the voting rights afforded to every other citizen.Desmond Meade, director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and a returning citizen himself, played an instrumental role in the landslide 2018 Amendment 4 victory in Florida, which used the ballot box to restore voting rights to 1.4 million Floridians with a previous felony conviction. Meade argues how, state by state, America can do better. His efforts in Florida present a compelling argument that creating access to democracy for those living on the fringes of society will create a more vibrant and robust democracy for all. He is the winner of the 2021 Brown Democracy Medal for his continuing work to restore voting rights and connect Americans along shared social values.

"Elections are the bedrock of any democracy. They rely on nonpartisan officials to administer them, voters to cast votes and candidates to accept the results, all in accordance with the law. According to some political experts, these democratic norms are under attack in states across the country as several legislatures seek to add barriers to voting rights, interfere with election administration, oust nonpartisan election officials, and refuse to accept the 2020 election results. The States United Democracy Center is pushing back by empowering state and local officials, law enforcement leaders, and prodemocracy partners by connecting them with tools and expertise they may need to administer free, fair and secure elections"--

The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal, presented by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world.Nasrin Sotoudeh is an Iranian lawyer and human rights activist who has been called "Iran's Nelson Mandela." Sotoudeh is a longtime opponent of the death penalty, advocate of improving imprisonment health conditions, and an activist dedicated to fighting for the rights of women, children, religious and ethnic minorities, journalists and artists, and those facing execution. As a result of her advocacy, Sotoudeh has been repeatedly imprisoned by the Iranian government for crimes against the state; she served one sentence from 2010 to 2013 and was sentenced again in 2018 to thirty-eight years and six months in prison and 148 lashes. Her work has been featured in the 2020 documentary Nasrin, by filmmakers Jeff Kaufman and Marcia S. Ross. For this important work, she is the recipient of the 2023 Brown Democracy Medal from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, marking the award's tenth year.