Research

ICDD conducts research on civic discourse, public dialogue and deliberation, civic learning, and democracy. Our research takes place on campus and in communities. Driven by a solutions-oriented approach to public problems, our research seeks to advance productive civic communication for stronger democracy.

ICDD contributes to the research community through publications in journals and academic societies. We are particularly active in the following venues.

Journal of Deliberative Democracy

National Communication Association Public Deliberation and Dialogue Division.

Current Projects

Young Adults and Community Media: ICDD director Colene Lind and Huck Boyd National Institute for Community Media director Sam Mwangi are studying how and why young adults access local and community news.

With large swaths of America in news deserts and ongoing, corporate ownership consolidation in local television, radio, and newspapers across America, inaccessibly of local sources of community information threatens informed participation and the very survival of community media.

Drs. Mwangi and Lind are conducting focus groups with Kansas State students to learn how the unique news habits of Generation Z can be accounted for in local newsrooms. Study results will be reported directly to Kansas community media and scholarly communications.

Kansas Civic Life Project (KCLP), funded by the Sunflower Foundation, mapped individuals and groups across the state who facilitate difficult public discussions about challenging issues. The KCLP cataloged conveners, facilitators, and participants based on dialogue and deliberation process models, the NCDD streams of conversation, and level of experience. By identifying who is conducting public deliberation and how in Kansas, KCLP promotes greater use of deliberative processes by providing citizens with a clear map and contact information for civic resources.