The Economy & Democracy in America, Session 1 of 3

Conversations by, and for, the people

How do you see the relationship between our economic system and the health of our democracy? What challenges flow from our economic system and how do these impact the health of our democracy? How might we better meet these challenges? In this conversation series, we will help each other explore key questions like these about the relationship of the economy and our democracy. We will also help each other to imagine different pathways forward to address the challenges we face.

Please join us via Zoom for these three interactive small-group conversations to explore how our economic system affects our democracy. Each session has a separate registration, since each can stand on its own (so don’t worry if you miss a session). The sessions build on each other, so please sign up for as many as you can attend. (Each session has its own entry on Citizen Connect, but you can register for all at once at the link). The sessions are meant for everybody–and no special knowledge or expertise is required.

April 19, 2023 (2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET): Exploring the relationship between the economy and our democracy

• Who does the economy serve – and why?
• What might be the consequences for democracy of rising economic inequality and insecurity?
• What if these consequences are by design – and, if so, for whose benefit are they?

May 3, 2023 (2pm-3:15pm ET): Questioning our assumptions about the economy

• What assumptions do we have about the economy?
• When we say the “American dream,” do we mean an economic or democratic dream? Why?
• What interests shape our economic system?

May 17, 2023 (2pm-3:15pm ET): Imagining a better system and different pathways forward

• How might our economic system better support our democratic values rather than the other way round?
• What might this world look like?
• How might we get there?

You can register for this 3-part series at the Eventbrite link. Please note that there are 3 dates for this series, and we encourage you to register for all 3 dates (scroll down in the form as needed).

These small-group conversations are facilitated by the Interactivity Foundation. The Interactivity Foundation is dedicated to fostering generous and highly participatory conversations where we can help each other consider diverse perspectives, think broadly and deeply about issues, and imagine alternative possibilities for the future. Our small-group conversations are designed for collaborative exploration rather than debate or argumentation.