DRGHub: Ecosystems for Democracy: Powering Participation through Collective Innovation

As democracy faces mounting challenges worldwide, a growing movement is reimagining how people, institutions, and communities can work together to strengthen participation and trust. This session explores the concept of democratic innovation ecosystems—networks that connect governments, civil society, and communities to co-create and scale participatory solutions.

Josh Lerner will share insights from his recent white paper and People Powered’s work to support these ecosystems around the world (check out Josh's recent article and People Power's video on Community-led climate solutions in the Amazon. Ro will offer a practitioner’s perspective on translating these ideas into real-world action, highlighting lessons from implementing participatory and community-driven initiatives in diverse contexts.
Together, they’ll explore practical strategies for building thriving ecosystems for democratic renewal at home and abroad followed by an open conversation on how participants can apply these principles in their own work.

Bios:

Josh Lerner
Josh is the Co-Executive Director of People Powered: Global Hub for Participatory Democracy, and a leading thinker on participatory and deliberative democracy. His recent work explores how democratic innovation ecosystems can foster collaboration between governments and civil society to make participation more impactful and sustainable. Josh’s ideas have been featured in Nonprofit Quarterly, including his article “Three Emerging Strategies for Renewing Democracy.”

Ro Tucci
Ro is a practitioner and policy leader with over 15 years of experience advancing democracy, governance, and peacebuilding across government and civil society. Until January 2025, Ro served as Deputy Assistant Administrator in USAID’s Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization, and previously also led USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance. She has also directed peacebuilding initiatives at the U.S. Institute of Peace, working to bridge policy and practice in building more inclusive, participatory, and resilient democracies.


Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89652453733?pwd=otSef0A0nKa5gFPpwjlfFVttgATK5l.1


Meeting ID: 896 5245 3733
Passcode: 328042

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