Stories

ANKARA
NEWS: Two Turkish Cities Are Finalists for 'European Capital of Democracy'
Ankara and Denizli Join Brussels and Tirana on Short List
ADDIS ABABA
NEWSLETTER: The Planetocracy Is Coming, So Wear Your White Hats
Also: Impact Investing Against Democracy; Sub-Saharan Local Covenant; Cat-Mayor-Martyr
Photo by Seanydelight via Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 3.0
USA
COLUMN: Shut Up and Leave Land to the Locals
The U.S. Government Blames Los Angeles for Fires on Federal Lands.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LOTTO_Haus_in_Magdeburg.jpg#/media/File:LOTTO_Haus_in_Magdeburg.jpg
Congo
NEWSLETTER Snake Bites, Local AI, and Paying for Lottery Democracy With...
Our January newsletter visits rural Congo, and reflects on the fires.
Public Domain via Wikipedia
USA
COLUMN: A Failure to Plan Is a Failure of imagination
L.A. ignored planning and governing responsibilities for 50 years. Will the fires change that?
Photo credit: by Joe Mathews
Global
UPDATED: A Model Law for Calling & Funding Citizens Assemblies
Give people the right to convene at the local level.
by Ricardo Stuckert/PR Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Global
No, Canada!
Stay Away From Trump. Befriend Localities Worldwide
Photo by Joe Mathews
USA
Driving Through Fire in My Hometown
Our local fires aren't unbelievable. We are.
By Joe Mathews
USA
LOCAL SNAPSHOTS The Fire in My Hometown
Surveying the damage in Pasadena, California
Sweden
How Stockholm Is Governed by Everyday People
How governance by everyday citizens, not professional politicians, makes cities better.
Pallbearers pour dirt into the grave of 19-year-old Shiite Musawir Hussain who was killed in a Nov. 21 attack in Pakistan’s Kurram district that left at least 52, mostly Shiites, dead. (Photo: Muhammad Nawaz)
Pakistan
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES In Kurram District, Lives Lost and Interrupted
A humanitarian crisis in northwest Pakistan reveals a government unwilling or unable to protect its people
Via Facebook page of Chavit Singson
Philippines
PCIJ: How Family Dynaties Control Local, Regional Governments
71 Governors Are Part of Political Dynasties