Building Civic Power in Crisis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed inequities and injustices that have existed in the United States for decades and are fundamentally built into our institutions, including our democracy. This article argues that building a stronger democracy based on civic power requires opening the policy-making process up to the public, especially to those who have been most marginalized. It offers illustrative case studies of best practices to tap into hyper-local citizen expertise by implementing principles of CrowdLaw and concludes with recommendations to guide research and practice.