A. The centrality of public discourse

• "The Faculties of a Democratic Society" by Judith Rodin and Stephen P. Steinberg

B. Defining exemplary public discourse

• "What is Good Public Discourse" by David M. Ryfe [report and annotated bibliography]

• "Public Discourse in Action: Mapping the Practice of Deliberative Democracy" by David M. Ryfe

• "The Principles of Public Discourse" [a continuing project] by members of the Commission

A. Public discourse in historical and social perspective

• "The 'Thinning' of American Public Discourse" by Thomas Bender

• "Communication and Democratic Deliberation" by Kathleen Hall Jamieson

• "Report on Primary Tensions" by Robert Wiebe

• "Rough Politics Needn't Destroy Lives" by Paul Begala

• ["A Paradox of Public Discourse and Political Democracy"] by Neil Smelser

B. Reconciliation and public discourse

• "To Forgive or Not to Forgive" by Marc S. Schulz, Alexis Bennett, and Julia Stein

• "Political Apologies and Public Discourse" by Graham G. Dodds

A. Institutions

• "The Institutional Contexts of Public Discourse" by Neil Smelser

• "University and Community" by Don Randel

• "Report on Museum Community-Building" by Joyce Appleby

• "Foundation Support of Community Development Through Public Discourse" by Cynthia M. Koch

• "The University and a Civil Society" by Judith Rodin

B. Community

• "Community Building in the Late Twentieth Century" by Joyce Appleby

• "Deliberative Democracy and Public Discourse: Preliminary Findings Using the ABAR [Agent-Based Argument Repertoire Model" by Ian S. Lustick with Dani Midownik

C. Leadership

• "Leadership and Publicity in a Complex Democratic Society" by Michael Schudson

• "Leadership and Public Life, 1998" by Michael Schudson

• "From Affirmative Action to Affirmative Opportunity" by William Julius Wilson

• "The Great Health Care Debate of 1993-94" by Derek Bok

• "Part of Our World: Journalism as Civic Leadership" by Jay Rosen

• "Tobacco and Its Regulation" by Paul Verkuil

• "The NEA & NEH Funding Crisis" by Cynthia Koch

In addition to the commissioned research and working group papers listed above, most of the Commission's plenary presentations and discussions are available in transcript, video and audio formats on this website, and in the electronic journal, Public Talk Among these are:

• An Urgent Task
  Philadelphia, December 1996
  • Keynote address by Commission chair Judith Rodin (President of the University of Pennsylvania)

• The Market, the State, and the Dynamics of Public Culture Philadelphia, June 1997
  • Keynote address by Kevin Phillips (editor and publisher of The American Political Report, syndicated columnist)

  • "Affirmative Action and the Culture of Intolerance," Christopher Edley (Harvard Law School)

  • "Immigration and the Fracturing of Community," Richard Rodriguez (columnist, author, PBS commentator)

  • "Campaign Reform and the Failure of Leadership," Paul Taylor (journalist and creator of campaign reform organization Free Time for Straight Talk)

• Public Behavior and the Responsibilities of Institutions Washington, DC, December 1997
  • "Government and Public Behavior," by Bill Bradley (former Senator, New Jersey)

  • "Professional Sports and Public Behavior," by Richard Lapchick (Director, Center for the Study of Sport in Society, Northeastern University)

  • "The Military and Public Behavior," by Julius Becton, Jr. (Lt. General, U.S. Army, ret.)

  • "Universities and Public Behavior," by Judith Rodin (President, University of Pennsylvania)

• Leading the Conversation: Leadership in a Democratic Society Chicago, June 1998
  • "Exemplary Discourse on Affirmative Action," Members of the Commission, led by Drew Faust (University of Pennsylvania)

  • "National Leadership and the Conversation on Race," with William Gray (President, UNCF) and Ward Connerly (Regent, University of California), moderated by Cass Sunstein (University of Chicago)

• Enriching the Conversation: Community in the 21st Century Los Angeles, December 1998
  • "The Context of Public Discourse," with Robert Wiebe (Northwestern University), Jonathan Franzen (novelist), Samuel Popkin (University of California at San Diego), Edward Rothstein (New York Times), and Richard Weisberg (Yeshiva University)

  • "The Conduct of Public Discourse," led by Judith Rodin (University of Pennsylvania) with David Ryfe (University of California at San Diego), Thomas Bender (New York University), Kathleen Hall Jamieson (University of Pennsylvania), Neil Smelser (Stanford University)

  • "The Role of Institutions in Leading Public Discourse," Barry Munitz (President, J. Paul Getty Trust)

  • "Creating a National Discourse: Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa," by Alex Boraine (Vice Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission), moderated by Amy Gutmann (Princeton University)

• Celebrating the Conversation: Public Discourse in Action Philadelphia, November 1999
  • "Modeling Public Discourse In Popular Culture," presentation by Neal Gabler (author)

  • "Cybercommunities: A New Discourse for a New Century," led by Lawrence Lessig (Harvard Law School), with Ken Deutsch (Internet Strategic Communications), Julian Dibbell (author), and Marc Ewing (Red Hat Software, Inc.)

  • "Improving Political Discourse in the 21st Century," with Paul Begala (senior campaign strategist for Bill Clinton, 1992, and Counselor to the President, 1997-99), Tom Luce (former Texas gubernatorial candidate and 1992 Perot campaign manager), Karl Rove (campaign manager for George W. Bush, 2000), and Kathleen Hall Jamieson (Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania).

  • "Exemplary Discourse Programs," moderated by Jay Rosen (New York University) with David M. Ryfe (University of California at San Diego), Mary Jacksteit (Common Ground Network For Life And Choice), Carolyn Lukensmyer (America Speaks), Martha McCoy (Study Circles Resource Center), and Bob McKenzie (National Issues Forums).