Increasingly, d-d.net is becoming a great network within which to spread the word about your good work related to deliberative democracy and participatory democracy around the world (we now have 600 subscribers; thank you!). As most of you know, we regularly invite readers to send along updates from the field. We'd also like to heartily encourage you to send in 1500-2000 word "think pieces" for the web. Ideas? Please send an email to: editor [at] deliberative-democracy.net

Also note the addition of a new resource to the web, a bibliography of more than 400 articles published on the web that relate to deliberative democracy. In most cases, simply enter the title (in quotes) into a search engine like Google and you should come up with the article. The file is in Excel format and includes abstracts.

Lars Hasselblad Torres
Editor

1 | NIGERIA S NATIONAL DIALOGUE PROJECT OPENS
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Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo opened a controversial National Dialogue in the capital Monday that could pave the way to political reform. The National Dialogue is expected to bring together more than 400 delegates from around the country and address issues central to a constitutional reform process.

The National Dialogue, dogged by reports of unrepresentativeness (for example, women constitute 7% of delegates) and a lack of support from prominent activists like Wole Soyinka and his Citizen s Forum, faces numerous obstacles, among them the fact that it has not received a $7million budget appropriation requested of the National Assembly. The National Dialogue is seen by many in the NA as a ploy to win future votes.

Read more...

2 | CUBAN DISSIDENT CALLS FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE
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Oswaldo Paya, a prominent Cuban civil liberties activist and winner of the EU s Sakharov human rights award, has established a 110-person Committee for National Dialogue in his efforts to build a process that will place Cuba s fate in the hands of the people. In a recent interview with the South Florida Sun, Mr Paya stated, "We want Cubans to have control over the process of transition. The National Dialogue project was started in late 2003.

Other prominent reformists, like Martha Beatriz Roque, an economist and leader of the 14-member Cuban Dissidence Task Group, have already identified a key area of disagreement: whether prominent officials in the Castro s government should have influence in the process.

Read more...

3 | ONLINE BOOK: EXTREME DEMOCRACY
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Social network theory meets participatory politics online in Extreme Democracy, a wonderfully brisk and accessible collection of ideas touching upon social network theory to open source software to democratic discourse.

Extreme democracy, the editors write, is a political philosophy of the information era that puts people in charge of the entire political process. It suggests a deliberative process that places total confidence in the people, opening the policy-making process to many centers of power through deeply networked coalitions that can be organized around local, national and international issues.

Read more...

4 | DIGITAL GOVERNMENT ONLINE CONFERENCE
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The National Conference on Digital Government Research begins Sunday, May 15 and runs through the 18th in Atlanta, Georgia. The 6th annual National Conference on Digital Government Research will be keynoted by Neil Eisner, Associate General Counsel to the U.S. Department of Transportation and one of the architects of the EDOCKET system. Mr Eisner has also conducted extensive work in the field of e-rulemaking.

More information at dgrc.org.

Note: Workshop participants who register for the conference first will receive a 33% reduction on workshop fees.

5 | LWV GUIDEBOOK ON PUBLIC DIALOGUE
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The League of Women Voters (US) has just released, Citizens Building Communities: The ABCs of Public Dialogue the first accessible, affordable primer on the variety of successful methods out there for engaging the public in dialogue a landmark resource for the rapidly growing field of public dialogue and deliberation according to Sandy Heierbacher, Convenor of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation. Copies are available by contacting pubsales@lwv.org and at lwv.org for US$4.95

6 | GLOBAL TOWN HALL AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
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In a major innovation for the Annual Meeting process, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland employed an interactive opening plenary session called the Global Town Hall. Working around the theme of Taking Responsibility for Tough Choices, world leaders rolled up their sleeves for deliberation on the top challenges facing the world today.

The Global Town Hall innovation was designed and produced by the US non-profit and Consortium member, AmericaSpeaks and was inspired by the concept of engagement first launched by the Swiss in the 15th century.

At the Town Meeting, participants prioritized the six "tough issues" that should be at the top of the global agenda in 2005: poverty, equitable globalization, climate change, education, Middle East and global governance.

Read more...

7 | ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS ON MEDIA
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The Preview Forum is a national media and dialogue initiative that brings together news professionals and the public in local forums to discuss social issues relevant to the community. In Spring 2005, Preview Forum will focus on how the birth of 24-hour news stations, internet bloggers and changes in FCC regulations have launched us into a new era of news producing and consuming. Through community discussions, Preview Forum will help citizens identify answers to complex questions, including What is the role of news in a democracy? Have we abandoned the goal of objectivity? How do community members get the news they need in an increasingly partisan landscape? Preview Forum invites organizations of all sizes to become local partners and host forums in their communities. Roundtable will provide free resources, including videos, planning guides, and publicity materials to the first 150 organizations that sign on as partners. For more information, contact Julia John by March 31, 2005 at jjohn@roundtablemedia.com or 781-893-3336 x24.

8 | GLOBAL DIALOGUE ON NANOTECHNOLOGY AND THE POOR
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Meridian Institute is convening a Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor to raise awareness about the implications of nanotechnology for the poor and develop an action plan that addresses opportunities and risks. Meridian Institute has developed a background paper to raise awareness about the implications of nanotechnology for poor people and seeks input on the issues identified in the Paper via an on-line consultation. For a copy of the Paper and instructions for providing input, visit nanotech.dialoguebydesign.net

The project will also include global stakeholder dialogues. To learn more about the project, please contact:

Michael T. Lesnick, Senior Partner, Meridian Institute, mlesnick@merid.org
Todd F. Barker, Partner, Meridian Institute, tbarker@merid.org

9 | INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION DELIBERATION WORKSHOPS
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The IAF is organizing deliberative democracy workshops for 2005 with the Inter-American Democracy Network (IADN. Workshops will be hosted by a local institution offering space, support staff and an interest in becoming a regional center for training moderators for community deliberation. IAF grantees and IADN members will be invited to participant in the workshops. For information about hosting or participating in one of the workshops visit http://www.redinter.org/login.aspx click on Services and Forum. Inter-American Democracy Network s INFORID is a Web site and e-mail news service providing information on the activities of member organizations and other NGOs. A recent IAF grantee, IADN has more than 3,000 member organizations promoting transparency, participation in hemispheric processes, social responsibility, civic education, and stronger civil society organizations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

10 | GUIDE TO DISPUTE RESOLUTION IN NORTH CAROLINA
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John B. Stephens has recently authored, Guidebook to Public Dispute Resolution in North Carolina. The guide discusses the benefits and limitations of using mediators in public disputes and how to determine when an impartial third party can be helpful. Also includes case summaries of North Carolina public disputes, guidelines for selecting an impartial third party, a directory of potential public dispute mediators and facilitators, and examines the challenges of effective public participation. An extensive resource chapter will help people interested in strengthening their mediation and facilitation skills. A related web page includes ongoing listings of case-specific information.

To order, visit: https://iogpubs.iog.unc.edu/iog.asp?page=ordering

11 | FORMER GOVERNORS CHAMPION KITCHEN TABLE TALK
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In a recent Christian Science Monitor Op-Ed pieces, the former Governors of Wyoming and Oregon champion a politics of integration to help solve some of the US s toughest issues.

We call on legislators, governors, and local officials to realize that while we might be divided on some basic issues, the Governors write, we can develop a common agenda of action. We can begin to work in ways that connect people, rather than pit them against one another To rebuild the trust that leaders need in order to be effective, we need to step out of hearing rooms and into schools, universities, libraries, and even the town square. How about your kitchen table? Read more...