How to end the middle school dance of governance and citizenship

Picture a middle school dance. On one side of the gym, governments at all levels — from federal to closer-to-home governments — stand in a huddle. On the other side, citizens cluster together.

There’s music playing — opportunity, responsibility, democracy — but few are dancing. Instead we are witnessing an increasingly disconnected ritual where neither group seems willing to take the lead.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

If governments and citizens both took a minute to envision what they could and probably should be doing amid the technology, tools and other dynamics at play in society today, we could turn this somewhat confused awkward shuffle into a dynamic partnership that’s rewarding for everyone. 

In particular, and this may be bold, but I think we could reverse the troubling trends of declining civic participation and eroding trust in institutions.

Let’s start with the government side of the gym. Too often, public institutions at every level treat citizen input, if they treat it at all, like a box to check. “Okay, we’ll grant you your few minutes at the mic because it’s tradition,” they might say, “but we still may roll our eyes.” 

That’s not enough. Governments should be proactively inviting quality resident input, not just when a crisis hits, a budget’s due or a tax levy needs votes. There are those who have, and they have soared.

 Fort Collins, Colorado and Coral Gables, Florida have both won The Baldrige Award, our country’s highest honor for performance excellence. The award is almost always given to private sector organizations.

Scottsdale, Arizona and Rochester, Minnesota are routine winners of the Polco-International City-County Management Association’s “Voice of the People” awards. Bloomberg Philanthropies has also begun to recognize dozens of strong and improving performers with their “What Works Cities” credentialing.

These communities invite input and participation, combine input data with performance data, set baselines, demonstrate progress, share wins and losses, nourish the relationship and consequently build trust. 

Transparency, engagement and performance aren’t private sector buzzwords; they’re the first step to making citizens feel like partners, not spectators. Some governments are doing it successfully today, and more should take note and join these brave dance floor pioneers.

Now, over to the citizens’ corner. We can’t just stand there, arms crossed, waiting for the government to make the first move. Democracy isn’t a spectator sport. Being a citizen isn’t a passive gig — it’s a job with real duties as well as opportunities and rewards. 

That means learning about the issues, not just skimming headlines or retweeting hot takes. It means showing up with constructive input instead of just lobbing complaints from the sidelines. 

Thoughtful feedback — specific, informed and focused on solutions — can push governance beyond the status quo.

But that requires effort: reading a budget summary, attending a meeting or even just talking to a neighbor about what’s working and what isn’t. AI can help, but it is not a substitute for engagement.

When both sides do their part better, and together, something remarkable happens. The government stops feeling like a distant monolith and starts looking like a tool we can shape. Citizens stop feeling like powerless bystanders and start acting like stakeholders with a voice. 

The dance floor fills up. And the payoff? A civic life that’s more engaging, effective and … dare I say, fun?

The stakes here are bigger than a feel-good moment.

Civic participation is trending downward. Neighborliness, volunteerism, even basic awareness of local issues are all taking hits. Trust in government is scraping historic lows, and with it, the ability to pass referenda or rally support for bold ideas is crumbling. 

These aren’t abstract stats; they’re warning signs of a democracy that’s losing its rhythm. But the fix isn’t complicated. It’s about both sides learning a few new steps and meeting in the middle.

So, let’s call it what it is. The government-citizen relationship has been stuck in a middle school rut for too long. It’s time to grow up.

Governments: Turn on the lights, share your playbook and ask us to dance. Citizens: Put down the punch cup, step up with real ideas and join in. 

If we can trade the pointing and snickering for collaboration, we might just find that democracy doesn’t have to be a wallflower — it can lead the party.

Nick Mastronardi is a veteran fellow at the Hoover Institution, Center for Revitalizing American Institutions, Working Group on Civics and American Citizenship.