Politics Prof. Larry Sabato, who also serves as director of the University’s Center for Politics, presented the center’s new international initiative — called the Global Perspectives on Democracy program — last week in London.
Sabato stated in an e-mail that he and the center created the program “to assist marginalized citizens in particular, in utilizing the tools of their democracy to better appreciate the system and benefit more directly from it.”
He stated the center wanted to try and expand its initiatives to other countries through this program.
“We focus a great deal of our time and effort on government and politics in the United States,” Sabato stated, but added that he’s “never imagined [the Center for Politics’] mission as being limited just to this country.”
Although the center has participated in other global outreach programs, such as the Youth Leadership Initiative, Sabato stated that he hopes the new program will help increase the center’s international outreach, making it possible for interested parties to better explore pressing political issues around the globe.
“The Center for Politics exists to teach people how to actively engage in politics and government,” Sabato stated. “We hope to foster citizen-to-citizen dialogue among the United States and other democratic societies around the world in an effort to make each system stronger and more responsive to citizen engagement.”
Daman Irby, director of the center’s Curriculum Advisory Committee, also said the center hopes to increase international dialogue about democracy through the program.
“You can’t have a healthy democracy unless citizens are engaged and feel that they have a voice,” he said.
Because the program is a global initiative, Sabato stated that he expects to partner with many organizations in the United States and abroad. Irby added that the program is currently partnered with the U.S. Department of State to fund the initiative’s first conference, scheduled for the end of this month. More conferences ideally will follow in the future, Irby said.
Irby said the first conference will give 17 representatives of minority groups from Sri Lanka the opportunity to compare American democracy and Sri Lankan democracy through classroom instruction.
Although there are not yet plans for additional visits from Sri Lanka or other democratic nations, Irby said the center currently is trying to locate funding from State Department grants and other opportunities to continue the program.
“Our desire is that it continues on and is successful,” Irby said. “There is definitely endless opportunity for improving civic engagement in the world.”
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