About IDEA
The Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability (IDEA) is a collaborative, multidisciplinary research institute at The Ohio State University with a global network of partners. For more than sixteen years, we have designed, implemented, and evaluated evidence-based solutions for reviving democracy at every level of government, across the United States and around the world.
We are grounded in a simple idea: when citizens and elected officials engage in civil, representative, and focused conversations, mutual respect grows, decisions improve, and democracy gets stronger.
To put that idea into practice, IDEA has conducted more than 50 Deliberative Town Halls, bringing our online deliberation model to communities everywhere. Our work turns the political frustration felt by citizens and elected officials alike into motivation for change. Citizens who take part feel respected, especially those on the margins, and that rebuilds trust, efficacy, hope, and a sense of common purpose. Leaders who partner with us hear the missing voices in their constituencies and learn what people truly need.
Why our approach works
Our Deliberative Town Halls are independently studied and proven to:
- Increase voting rates and strengthen trust in government and support for democracy
- Dramatically reduce polarization and deepen mutual respect and tolerance
- Scale from 70 to 7,000 participants while producing similar gains
- Reach the citizens who feel most alienated from politics
- Cost less than traditional alternatives, allowing more and larger forums
"How I wish Deliberative Town Halls had been available when I served in Congress. This process could begin to restore America's trust in its government and representatives' accountability to their constituents."
— Rep. Deborah Pryce, Ohio's 15th District (1993–2009)
