"Co-governance is a way of doing democracy where community members, advocates, and public officials share information, power, and responsibility so policy isn't something done to people but rather built with people. It's easy to say 'community engagement,' to commit to bridging power. It's harder—and more important—to build the structures where community knowledge changes decisions, where people see their lived experience reflected in law."
"Authoritarian politics tries to break the ties that make self-government possible, convincing us that neighbors are enemies, that institutions are pointless, that the only power that matters is force. State lawmakers are stepping up to defend due process, civil liberties, and community safety against escalating attacks on American citizens and immigrant communities."
State Innovation Exchange supports over 1,800 lawmakers advancing progressive policies including immigrant rights, democracy protection, workers' rights, and social justice. These legislators reject authoritarian approaches that frame neighbors as enemies and dismiss institutions. Instead, they practice co-governance—a democratic model where community members, advocates, and officials collaborate to share information, power, and responsibility in policymaking. This approach transforms policy from something imposed on people into something built with them. Minneapolis exemplifies co-governance under pressure, with communities organizing for safety while local and state leaders challenge secrecy and defend due process against federal immigration enforcement escalation.
Read at Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
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