Dr. Neblo offers opening remarks at GID's parliamentary exchange
Rep. Nick Langworthy welcomes international delegations to the U.S. Capitol
A panel discusses how to adapt democratic innovations to different political contexts
Hon. Collins Kajawa of Malawai speaks at parliamentary exchange
Mario Pardo, a member of the Constitutional Council in Chile, discusses Chile's ongoing constitutional reform process
The Global Innovations in Democracy: Parliamentary Exchange (GID) is a collaboration between the Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability (IDEA) at the Ohio State University and the Center for Democracy Innovation at the National Civic League. GID provides a global forum for legislators, experts, and governmental staff to discuss the most innovative methods and tools for gathering input, overcoming divisions, building trust, and gaining public support for public policy. In a time of rising threats to democracy, this kind of learning exchange is increasingly critical to support democratic leaders, solve stalled domestic problems and coordinate solutions to global challenges.
If you are interested in getting involved or learning more about GID, please check out our official GID website or contact either Amy Lee by email at lee.8989@osu.edu or Adam Duffy at duffy.299@osu.edu.
History
In November 2022, the first GID event was held in Washington, D.C. Parliamentary delegations from Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined Members of the U.S. House of Representatives for two days of discussions.
The first forum achieved three main goals:
- Created an off-the-record space for legislator-to-legislator dialogue regarding best practices for engaging constituents
- Connected legislators to innovative practitioners and scholars in the democracy strengthening community
Introduced U.S. Members of Congress to participatory reforms that other advanced democracies have incorporated into their legislative processes
When reflecting on the first GID, Dr. Neblo said, “The goal of the workshop and parliamentary exchange was to provide lawmakers from all the different countries a chance to learn directly from their peers about some of these innovations we in civil society have been working on. If our efforts lead to sparking any collaboration or wider adoption of some of these best practices, that’s a real win for all of us working to make democracy stronger."
Plans for GID 2025
The GID organizing team looks forward to continuing to bring together diverse voices to broaden perspectives and strengthen attendees' commitment to protecting democracy globally. Based on some feedback, we are considering several possibilities for enhancements to GID 2025, including increased opportunities for workshops and open collaboration.
Partners
GID is a collaboration between IDEA and the Center for Democracy Innovation at the National Civic League, but this event would not be possible without the generous support of our partners and supporters, including American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS), the European Parliamentary Liaison Office in Washington, D.C., the Apolitical Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, the Berggruen Institute, the Brennan Center for Justice, ifok, and US Agency for International Aid (USAID). You can read more about each of them on our Partners page.