Brad Rourke’s Blog
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New Article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Accountability Movement and Philanthropy
In partnership with Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE), the Kettering Foundation has been working for the past year or so on a report looking at the civic dimensions of the “accountability movement” as it relates to organized philanthropy. I have been the main researcher in this work, which has involved a series of conversations…
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A Song About A Bridge
Earlier today a friend of mine was talking about a difficult time in his life and it reminded me of a song I wrote some time ago that used his experience as a starting point. My friend spent time living under a bridge after going through some difficult times. Thing was, he didn’t see his…
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Work, Art, and Leisure Collide: Remembering Two Songs By The West End
Today I happened to play an old playlist while I took a run. In the mix, a song came on that took me back and sent me on a reverie. I thought I’d share it. Some years ago I was in a band called The West End along with my good friends and neighbors Monique…
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New at Inside Public Judgment: Starting Where the Public Starts
Friends know that at the Kettering Foundation we recently started a new blog called Inside Public Judgment, devoted to sharing what we are learning about framing issues for public deliberation — a behind-the-scenes look at various aspects of developing issue guides. My latest piece is posted, which outlines some of the false starts we made…
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A New Blog at the Kettering Foundation
Inside Public Judgment is a space where Kettering hopes to share what we learn about how the public comes to judgment on difficult problems. My first post, Starting Points for Deliberative Politics, is live now.
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Building a Different Kind of Political Candidate
I’m in the middle of doing one of my favorite activities, something I’ve been involved in since the late 1990’s. It’s the Candidate Training Program, run by the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia. I was a part of the design team for this program and have been involved in different…
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I Don't Mind If You Shop On Thanksgiving Day
Our Thanksgiving tradition is specifically rooted in consumption. I’m not going to overdo it, but at the same time I’m not going to pretend that Thanksgiving is meant to be a day of abstention. It’s a feast.
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Movie Marketing and the Tragedy of the Commons
A friend of my daughter has become one of my favorite Twitter accounts, as he will occasionally go on a bit of a rant about some aspect of the entertainment industry. “Rant” is probably not the right word, as what he really does is mount thoughtful arguments. His latest fragmental piece outlines the unintended consequences…
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In Praise Of Effort Over Time
A dozen years ago, I was completing my stint leading a national election-ethics project, encouraging candidates to negotiate, sign, and abide by “clean campaign” pledges. It was, as you might imagine, an uphill battle. I was excited when a group in Toledo, Ohio, picked up the idea on their own and pressed for the 2001…
Brad Rourke 