US Programs
Across the United States, we connect Members of Congress with their constituents through Deliberative Town Halls, bring deliberation into classrooms through Connecting Classrooms to Congress, and convene representative citizen panels on national policy questions. The goal is the same in every setting: structured, evidence-informed dialogue between Americans and the people who represent them.
Connecting to Congress (C2C)
IDEA’s flagship U.S. initiative creates direct, deliberative engagement between Members of Congress and a representative cross-section of constituents. Its core activity, the Deliberative Town Hall (DTH), invites authentic, non-partisan conversations. Research shows DTHs increase approval, trust, and civic participation.
Deliberative Citizens Panel
In partnership with CHRR at OSU, IDEA is developing a citizen panel for ongoing deliberative engagement.
Hosted within the American Population Panel, it reduces recruitment costs and connects over 49,000 volunteer members with public-facing research and civic forums.
Connecting Classrooms to Congress (CCC)
CCC is a collaboration of faculty in political science and education at IDEA, Columbia University, and the University of California, Riverside, and high schools in Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Washington, and California. The project developed and tested a web-based platform that enables high school students to study a pressing political issue and then discuss that issue with their Member of Congress in a Deliberative Town Hall.
Connecting to Congress (C2C)
IDEA’s flagship U.S. initiative creates direct, deliberative engagement between Members of Congress and a representative cross-section of constituents. Its core activity, the Deliberative Town Hall (DTH), invites authentic, non-partisan conversations. Research shows DTHs increase approval, trust, and civic participation.
Deliberative Citizens Panel
In partnership with CHRR at OSU, IDEA is developing a citizen panel for ongoing deliberative engagement.
Hosted within the American Population Panel, it reduces recruitment costs and connects over 49,000 volunteer members with public-facing research and civic forums.
Connecting Classrooms to Congress (CCC)
CCC is a collaboration of faculty in political science and education at IDEA, Columbia University, and the University of California, Riverside, and high schools in Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Washington, and California. The project developed and tested a web-based platform that enables high school students to study a pressing political issue and then discuss that issue with their Member of Congress in a Deliberative Town Hall.