Demos Events

Linda Tarr-Whelan at the World Bank

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST

Demos, the World Bank, Women Thrive Worldwide and Vital Voices are proud to present Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow Linda Tarr-Whelan and author of Women Lead The Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World in a private forum about the future of women's leadership. In this groundbreaking work, Tarr-Whelan calls attention to the gender gap at the top of every sector, and provides strategies for effectively mobilizing women's leadership.

This forum is private. For more information, please contact Madeline Kane at mkane@demos.org.

Linda Tarr-Whelan at Charleston Women in Business Conference

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST

Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos distinguished senior fellow and author of Women Lead The Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World, will deliver the keynote address at the Charleston Women in Business Conferece.

Sponsored by the The Center for Women and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, this collaborative conference will provide hundreds of local business women with workshops and networking opportunities.

For more information or to register for the conference, please visit http://www.c4women.org/women_in_business.html.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

A year after the election of President Obama, America still has a long road to achieving a post-racial society, and nowhere is this more apparent than in our broken prison system. Demos, the American Civil Liberties Union, and The New Press are proud to invite you to a forum with legal scholar Michelle Alexander to discuss her new book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Alexander argues in this comprehensive analysis of America's racial history that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” Jim Crow and legal racial segregation, she asserts, have been replaced by mass incarceration as "a stunningly comprehensive and well-designed system of racialized social control."

Join us for a discussion with Alexander on the long-term costs of this mass incarceration, exacerbated by a system that legally permits the formerly incarcerated to be discriminated against for the rest of their lives, and leaves them without adequate employment, housing, education, and public benefits. In a society in which colorblindness seems to have pervaded the national discourse, Alexander seeks to ensure that our vision of injustice is not blurred, and that we can foster a frank discussion about race, cultivate an ethic of compassion for all, and end the practices of mass incarceration that institutionalize racism in America.

A wine and cheese reception will follow the discussion.

This event will be webcast live at www.demos.org.

To RSVP, click here, or contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399.

Global Auction of Public Assets

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST

Public infrastructure has a vital role in economic development, increases productivity, generates employment, and improves community well-being. The 21st century has introduced new and complex challenges for the development and maintenance of public structures, including adapting to climate change, and meeting the economic, energy, water, transportation, and social needs of global megacities. These challenges are further complicated by an infrastructure market financed by public-private partnerships.

Join us for a Demos Forum with Dexter Whitfield, author of Global Auction of Public Assets: Public Sector Alternatives to the Infrastructure Market and Public Private Partnerships. In this new book, Whitfield argues that public-private partnerships (PPPs) and the global infrastructure market, financed by investment and pension funds, are fuelling a new era of public asset sales. A secondary market has emerged in which schools, hospitals and roads are traded like commodities. Whitfield asserts that most PPP projects have little or no democratic control or transparency, are costly, of poor value, lack innovation and flexibility, reduce employment, and exaggerate risk transfer. Global Auction of Public Assets demonstrates why new investment priorities are needed, and sets out ways to build alliances and strategic interventions that can improve the global development of public structures.

This event will be webcast live at www.demos.org.

To RSVP, click here, or contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399.

Interesting Times: Writings from a Turbulent Decade

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Join Demos, the Progressive Book Club, and the Center for American Progress for an exciting forum with George Packer to discuss his new book, Interesting Times: Writings from a Turbulent Decade. In this collection of essays, Packer turns a critical eye on the “decade” that began on September 11, 2001, and ended with the election of Barack Obama. In his examination of the failures of the previous administration, as well as the trials and tribulations of the progressive community, Packer paints a vivid picture of what it was like to live in America at the beginning of our new century.

Author and prominent commentator Todd Gitlin will moderate the discussion, which will be followed by a reception. A live webcast will be available at www.demos.org.

To RSVP for this event, please click here, or contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399.

Click here to become a member of the Progressive Book Club and receive a free copy of Interesting Times by George Packer.

Linda Tarr-Whelan at the House of Commons

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:30:00 EST

Demos and the Hansard Society will present a panel discussion about the ability of women to make an impact in business, government and society at the House of Commons. Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow Linda Tarr-Whelan will present the findings of her new book, Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World, and will be joined by Professor Sarah Childs, Professor of Politics and Gender, University of Bristol, and Nadine Dorries, MP. The discussion will be chaired by Matt Korris, Research Fellow at the Hansard Society Parliament and Government Programme.

Click here to RSVP, or contact hans_admin@hansard.lse.ac.uk.

Europe's Promise: Why the European Way is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST

As we reflect upon the state of our union and explore ideas that have the potential to improve the American economy, health care, and support for families, many are looking abroad for examples. In his new book, Steven Hill asserts that world power has emerged across the Atlantic that is recrafting the rules for how a modern society should provide economic security, environmental sustainability, and global stability.

Join us for a Demos Forum with Steven Hill as he discusses Europe's Promise: Why the European Way is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age. For a decade, Hill traveled widely to understand what he describes as uniquely European social and economic structures. In this new book, which Foreign Affairs calls "timely and provocative," he explains Europe's bold new vision, and how Europe has taken the lead on innovative solutions for some of our most pressing global concerns.

This event will be webcast live at www.demos.org.

To RSVP, click here, or contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399.

Are Corporations People Too? Understanding Citizens United

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST

Join Demos for a forum hosted by The Boston College Law School Chapter
of the American Constitution Society:

Are Corporations People Too?
Understanding Citizens United

February 2, 12:30 pm
Room: East Wing 115B
Lunch will be served

Panelists
Jeffery Clements
Founding Shareholder
Clements Law Office, LLC

Brenda Wright
Director of Democracy Program
Demos

Kent Greenfield
Professor
Boston College Law School

Mary-Rose Papandrea
Associate Professor
Boston College Law School

For more information, please contact Gavin Bruce at BruceG@bc.edu.

The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

Every day, millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet. From putting food on the table to paying for healthcare, housing, education, and childcare, a startling number of American families are just scraping by. As the recession continues, many slip even further into debt. Despite the policies that work against them, however, many of these families experience little acts of kindness through the economic disobedience of others.

Join A Better Balance and Demos for a forum with Lisa Dodson to discuss her inspiring new book, The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy. In it, Dodson tells the tales of the countless unsung heroes who bend or break the rules to help those less fortunate. Whether it is a nurse choosing to treat an uninsured child, a supervisor deciding to overlook infractions, or a restaurant manager sneaking food to a worker's children, middle-class Americans are secretly refusing to be complicit in a fundamentally unfair system that puts a decent life beyond the reach of the working poor.

Demos and A Better Balance are proud to host Lisa Dodson to discuss this book, the product of eight years of research, and to tell the story of a moral underground that has grown in response to an immoral economy.

Click here to read an excerpt from The Moral Underground in The American Prospect.

This event will be webcast live at www.demos.org.

To RSVP, click here, or contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399.

The Campaign to End Prison-Based Gerrymandering

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST

Join Demos, the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Prison Policy Initiative, the New York City Aids Housing Network, and other community groups and advocates in support of new legislation to end the undemocratic system of prison-based gerrymandering. Supporters will be joined by Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, and other elected officials on the steps of New York City Hall to seek an amendment to the State Election Law regarding how incarcerated individuals are counted for the purposes of legislative districting.

This is a critical step in a major statewide effort to pass legislation that will count prisoners as residents of their home counties, rather than as residents of the counties in which they are incarcerated. The current system for counting people in prisons drastically inflates populations in some communities, while diluting the political representation of the home communities and violating the democratic principle of "one person, one vote."

Restoring the democratic right of representation to all New York communities is especially urgent now that the 2010 Census is underway and new legislative districts will be drawn in 2012.

For more information, contact Steven Carbo, Senior Program Director in the Democracy Program at Demos at scarbo@demos.org.

U.S. and European Perspectives on Immigration: A Problem or An Opportunity?

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:15:00 EST

To view Delancey Gustin's powerpoint slides highlighting the key findings of the Transatlantic Trends: Immigration report, click here.

The American Council on Germany, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the World Policy Institute and Demos present:

"U.S. and European Perspectives on Immigration:
A Problem or an Opportunity?"

a discussion and luncheon featuring

Delancey Gustin, Immigration and Integration Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

and

Michele Wucker, Executive Director, World Policy Institute

This event comes on the heels of the release of Transatlantic Trends: Immigration, which compares transatlantic as well as cross-country opinion on immigration and integration issues. Some of the topics included in this year's survey are: public perception of immigrants' labor market impacts and effects on wages, the effect of the economic crisis on attitudes toward immigration, and preferences for temporary vs. permanent labor migration programs. The survey also gauges opinion on a legalization program for illegal immigrants and asks respondents to rate their governments' current job of immigration management.

A light lunch will be served. This event is open to the public, but advance registration is required to reserve a seat and help us minimize waste. Registration is required by Monday, January 25th.

The event will be webcast live at www.demos.org.

Linda Tarr-Whelan at Passion into Action Conference

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:15:00 EST

Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos distinguished senior fellow, will deliver a keynote address at Passion into Action: A Conference for Women, presented by See Jane Do.

The conference specifically serves women in rural communities and small towns, providing them with a space to meet, network, and explore ideas on how to work together on one another’s projects and strengthen the community. See Jane Do is a social change multimedia production that captures the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for the planet.

To register for the conference, please visit www.seejanedo.com or click here.

The Future of Philanthropy: Can Market-Based Models Save the World?

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

Registration for this event is now closed. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please e-mail jkhanduja@demos.org.

A new movement called philanthrocapitalism promises to save the world by applying a market-based perspective to various social and economic challenges. How well can this approach solve the complex and nuanced goals of fundamental social transformation? Some argue that philanthrocapitalism is a new and innovative way to breathe life and resources into the causes for which we advocate. Others maintain that business-based solutions are based on an entirely different set of principles, and will never inspire the collaborative spirit necessary for true change.

Join us for the book launch of Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World by Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow Michael Edwards. Edwards will be joined by The Economist's Matthew Bishop, author of Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World and the upcoming The Road from Ruin: How to Revive Capitalism and Put America Back On Top. The authors will draw upon their recent books to discuss and debate the costs and benefits of philanthrocapitalism in tackling our toughest social problems, both in the US and globally. Betsy Campbell, Vice President for Programs at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, will moderate.

The discussion will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.

This event will be webcast live at www.demos.org.

The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

Over the past few decades, growing inequality has made American society more vulnerable. As the income divide has grown, social mobility has declined, and huge gaps in wealth have proven to have a profound effect on a host of social and political issues, from healthcare and violence to climate change and efficient governance.

Join us for the U.S. book launch of The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger by British epidemiologists Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. Named one of the top ten books of the decade by the New Statemen, The Spirit Level eloquently explains how one common factor links the healthiest and happiest societies: the degree of equality among their members. The cross-sector data compiled and exhibited throughout the book reveals striking differences, not only among the nations of the first world, but even within America’s fifty states. Demos is proud to host this forum with Wilkinson and Pickett to discuss the important correlation between economic and social conditions, and to further strenghten the case for greater equality in the U.S.

This event will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.

LIVE WEBCAST:

To read a TIME interview with the authors, click here.

To RSVP, click here, or contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399.

Linda Tarr-Whelan at Clemson University

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST

Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos distinguished senior fellow, will be joined by Demos, the Clemson Pan Hellenic Council and the Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs in a forum on women’s leadership. Tarr-Whelan will discuss her groundbreaking new book, Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World. Drawing on her extraordinarily diverse background, Tarr-Whelan offers a women-led strategy for change and a complete set of practical tools that readers can use to become powerful partners in forging a better future.