Civic Discourse, Civil Dialogue & the Agora

The SNF Agora will harness research at the crossroads of multiple disciplines to embark upon a scientific exploration of the vulnerabilities in modern political and civic dialogue.  It will investigate, test, and build innovative and workable reforms to create the conditions for open discourse and decision-making.  It will serve as a place for debate and discussion on challenging issues and a clearinghouse of best practices on promoting civic dialogue to interested parties around the world.

While the SNF Agora Institute at JHU is launching at a time of particular stress for many civic institutions globally, it will be built to stand as an enduring institution, one constituted not only to answer the vulnerabilities of the current moment, but the threats to democracy yet to come.