U.S. citizens have the right to participate in the political process, and when they do, it’s hoped they do so with deliberation. Is there conflict between participation and deliberation? Watch our interview with Professor Diana Mutz in which she discusses citizen participation and a polarized society.


Diana C. Mutz is the Samuel A. Stouffer Chair in Political Science and Communication at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication and the director of the Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. She is the author of “Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative Versus Participatory Democracy” and “Impersonal Influence: How Perceptions of Mass Collectives Affect Political Attitudes,” which received the Robert Lane Prize for the Best Book in Political Psychology by the American Political Science Association.

One percent of Americans control 22 percent of the nation’s wealth. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says a democratic society must address such inequality if it hopes to remain healthy. Are citizens concerned about the gap between rich and poor in the United States? Find out what Jared Bernstein, economist and researcher with the Economic Policy Institute and co-author of “The State of Working America,” thinks about the economic divide and “YOYO” economics.

iCitizenForum sits down with Heather Smith, Executive Director of Rock the Vote. In this interview we discuss the importance of the youth vote and its rise over the last two election cycles.

Peter Levine is the director of CIRCLE, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement and author of "The Future of Democracy, Developing the Next Generation of American Citizens" In this interview Peter talks to us about the importance of getting young people engaged with politics at a young age

An introduction to the iCitizen Forum and what its about