Baruch Professor Don Waisanen Receives Grant for Trust-Building Electoral Research

March 28, 2024

Public Agenda, a research-to-action nonprofit dedicated to building a democracy that works for everyone, has announced its inaugural slate of grantees for the Democracy Renewal Project, and Baruch College Professor Don Waisanen, PhD, is among the recipients.

Dr. Waisanen, who is a Professor of Strategic and Leadership Communication at Baruch's Marxe School of Public Affairs, is teaming up with Dr. Amy Becker at Loyola University and Living Room Conversations (LRC), a nonprofit that connects people within communities and across differences through dialogue to build trust and understanding.

With the $50,000 grant, they will expand on LRC's tested, successful model for facilitating small-group dialogues about politics that allow people to engage with other perspectives despite the challenges of increasing political polarization and negative outlooks on the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election.

The research led by Drs. Waisanen and Becker will explore if these dialogues can enhance community cohesion and encourage democratic participation. They're particularly interested in linking these dialogues to tangible electoral activities, such as voter registration and poll worker volunteering, to gauge their impact on democratic engagement.

"With 'conflict entrepreneurs' continually stoking and profiting from discord across the country, political polarization on the increase, and the low hopes many have for the coming 2024 election, our democracy is in a state of crisis," says Dr. Waisanen. "Our greatest hope is that this project will ultimately point toward what's fundamentally necessary for democracy to thrive in the coming years."

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