Collaborative governance, or co-governance, refers to a broad range of practices that elected officials, community leaders, bureaucrats, and organizers are adopting as they figure out how to govern together. Going beyond demands, co-governancerepresents a willing shift of power and trust among two typically adversarial parties. Instead of representatives and those represented on either side of a line, both see themselves as partners working together to build the world we want to live in.
On December 15, Philadelphia City Council Member Helen Gym, former Gainesville City Commissioner Gail Johnson, State Innovation Exchange Co-Executive Director Jessie Ulibarri, and Texas Organizing Project Strategy Director Crystal Zermeno joined New America’s Hollie Russon Gilman and Local Progress’s Sarah Johnson to discuss best practices, identify promising strategies, and highlight lessons from their on-the-ground experiences with co-governance in the U.S. The conversation moves beyond the dichotomy of “inside” and “outside” power to how those in government can share decision-making with movement partners.
Hollie Russon Gilman is a Political Reform program Senior Fellow at New America and an Affiliate Fellow at Harvard’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Her work focuses on topics at the intersection of civic engagement, digital technology, and participatory governance. Her research explores how to build a more...
Sarah is the Executive Director of Local Progress. Prior to joining Local Progress, Sarah served as the Managing Director at the Working Families Organization where she helped develop a senior management team to guide organizational strategy and as the Elections Director for the New York Working Families Party where she...
