Get Widgets! Great Tools For Active Citizens
OpenCongress
This widget, from OpenCongress.org, helps you keep track of what's going on in Congress.
You Decide
There's a lot at stake for the president and Congress - and a lot to debate. This widget, from KQED, asks people to take a position on a issue, then argues the other side – a nonpartisan way to help voters think about the choices involved in proposed solutions to public policy problems.
Campaign Cash Counters
What did it take, money-wise, for the members of the 111th Congress to win or hang on to their seats? These OpenSecrets.org widgets track election spending by candidate, political party and issue.
The National Debt Clock
The National Debt Clock, from FacingUp.org, an initiative of which Public Agenda is a partner, updates constantly to show the current amount owed by Uncle Sam and his taxpayers (you, me, and if nothing is done, our children and grandchildren).
What's On The Front Page?
This widget, from NewspaperIndex.com, displays the front pages of U.S. newspapers - a different newspaper each time the widget is loaded – each newspaper chosen at random.
Google's Historical Elections Map
A cool map that can be embedded on your web site or blog which shows voting trends, including demographic breakdowns, for presidential elections going back to 1980.
Presidential Money Race
This widget, from MAPLight.org, can tell you who backed who, in terms of fundraising, in the presidential race.
Public engagement – bringing people together to address issues and solve shared problems - might be a community forum. Or it could happen online. But which digital tools for engagement are most effective? There are a lot of "musts" to keep in mind when engaging communities on the web. Check out our video and paper on this topic, Promising Practices In Online Engagement, also available as a Kindle book.
COMING TOGETHER ON SOLUTIONS TO PUBLIC POLICY PROBLEMS
Partisan gridlock doesn't have to be the order of the day, even when it comes to some of our toughest issues. Social scientist Daniel Yankelovich, chairman and co-founder of Public Agenda, has developed the Learning CurveTM theory as an approach to understanding how the public becomes aware of public problems, learns more about them, and moves towards the point where it is possible for diverse groups to begin crafting public policy solutions.
This approach reflects a lot of what we've learned in our work in both public engagement and public opinion research, and we were able to put this theory into action in our groundbreaking study on attitudes toward energy and climate change, The Energy Learning CurveTM. For more on nonpartisan approaches to solving tough public problems, check out our FAQs on public engagement, Yankelovich's recent remarks on public policy and the public mood, and presentations by Yankelovich and Public Agenda's Jean Johnson to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
OUR FAVORITE POLITICAL MOVIES
It's hard to top the drama of the times we're in – with enormous decisions facing the White House and Congress – but sometimes we find inspiration in the movies. From scandals to dreams and tears to laughs – we love the way movies let us look at real issues through new eyes. Check out our list of favorites, then log on and add your own picks to the list.
