selected figures

• Figure 1. The Stakeholders
• Figure 2. Communications Flow

Figure 1. The Stakeholders

To understand the challenges in the communications between citizens and their representatives in Congress it is critical to understand who the various stakeholders are and the roles they play in the process. While these communications are ultimately about the interaction between individual citizens and individual Members of Congress, there are a number of other players, as well. We define the stakeholders as primary, secondary, or tertiary stakeholders. The primary stakeholders are, of course, those that “own” the communication and the relationship. The secondary stakeholders are those that are instrumental in helping facilitate the relationship and the communications between the primary stakeholders. The tertiary stakeholders are those that provide the tools, guidance, and services that help the secondary stakeholders perform their roles more effectively and efficiently. 

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Figure 2. Communications Flow

Figure 2 displays the flow of individual and grassroots advocacy campaign communications to congressional offices and back again. Though this process appears to be straightforward, there are bumps in the road that create significant obstacles to truly robust democratic dialogue. Many are related to the considerable changes brought about by technology and the Internet; changes to which neither side has yet completely adapted. As a result, frustration is currently high, and the stakeholders on both sides are accusing the other side of being unreasonable, behaving disingenuously, and using practices that are damaging to democracy. To some degree, both sides are right.

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CwC: Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialogue

Read the full report: CWC_RecommendationsReport (3.5 MB)

• Overview
• Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
  
• Conclusion

69 pages
Copyright 2008 by the Congressional Management Foundation
ISBN: 1-930473-94-X

About the Communicating with Congress Project

• Project Overview – In 2001, CMF began work on this project to improve communications between citizens and Members of Congress.

• How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy – A report on congressional staffs' views of constituent communications based on focus groups, interviews, and surveys of 350 House and Senate Staff in 200 offices.

• Conference on Constituent Communications: Dispelling Myths and Discussing Solutions – A forum in which more than 200 experts and stakeholders from both sides came together to share perspectives and discuss possible solutions.

• How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement – A report on citizens' views on communicating with Congress based on nationwide telephone and online surveys of citizens.

• Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialogue – This report is the culmination of CMF's nine years of research, outreach, and study, with recommendations for all stakeholders on how to improve communication between citizens and Congress.

• Navigating the Rising Tide of Grassroots Advocacy – CMF offers educational presentations for grassroots/advocacy organizations on the topic of how to effectively communicate with Congress.