The Institute for 21st Century Agoras (commonly known as Global Agoras) was founded in 2002 by Alexander N. Christakis (b. 1937) and Kenneth C. Bausch (1940–2022) as a non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating authentic democracy through effective social systems design in the emerging global era (incorporated in the State of California, 501(c)(3), EIN 03-0466448). Today, the AGORAS operate globally as a “virtual organization,” conducting most of its business by supervising the compliance of SDD applications with Dialogic Design Science, organizing conferences, convening regional and international meetings, and monitoring SDD certification programs (without any legal registration) in accordance with policies and procedures published in its formal Bylaws.
The founders coined the term Co-Laboratories of Democracy to refer to localized initiatives that conduct strictly defined Structured Dialogic Design Processes (SDDP), in compliance with the principles and laws of the underlying Dialogic Design Science (DDS), to enable civil dialogue for high-complexity problems. SDDPs may be conducted face-to-face, virtually (synchronous or asynchronous), or in a hybrid format.
The Global Agoras vision is to:
- Promote the idea of human connectedness and interdependence (the “global village”)
- Promote democratic processes for addressing the problems and opportunities associated with global challenges (“globalization”)
- Promote the establishment of co-laboratories of democracy (also known as 21st Century Agoras)
Promote Human Connectedness and Interdependence
The Members of the Institute offer informational seminars on the theory of Dialogic Design Science, published reports, and training opportunities in Structured Dialogic Design processes. They also assist individuals or organizations seeking certified SDD practitioners in their geographic region or a specific field of application. This social networking involves linking practitioners based on their SDD project histories.
The AGORAS identify and engage sources of philanthropic and competitive grant support to convene practitioners into campaigns for social transformation through authentic democratic processes.
Promote Democratic Process
The AGORAS maintains an archive of field applications of SDD under the oversight of a corporate research director. Archives will be accepted from any individuals who use structured dialogic design for democratic social system services, and collaborative research proposals will be seriously considered from all professional organizations addressing complex challenges that can advance the resolution of global economic and political isolation.
The AGORAS maintains an active presence at societies and associations that promote applied democracy through citizen engagement and participation.
The AGORAS will seek to host one international summit or retreat on the global practice of structured dialogic design every five years, and will derive from these summits a consensus view of the barriers, opportunities, and essential action options required to advance global democracy.
Promote the Establishment of Co-laboratories
The Institute supports emerging practitioners and new initiatives with published resources, free access to software that supports SDDP implementation, and tools for building influence.
The Institute holds the service mark (trademark) from the US Patent and Trademark Office (US Reg. 3766019) for the use of “structured dialogic design” (SDD) in the field of social system design. The Institute monitors participation in official SDD informational events and proficiency levels achieved through its approved, certified SDD training and apprenticeship programs.
SDD training is currently provided by individually recognized SDD experts in classrooms and communities in Cyprus, Mexico, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, and Australia. In all locations, SDD differentiates itself as a technical collaborative design practice distinct from traditional facilitation services. Making this distinction, however, can put SDD into a position that may seem to compete with local group facilitation practices. The AGORAS seeks to support local group facilitation practices when they encounter a social system problem that is genuinely a wicked problem (e.g., the problem’s critical elements are misunderstood or poorly understood, rapidly evolving, and interacting in unpredictable ways).
The AGORAS pioneers and support the technological evolution of SDD, both through online implementation and through fusion with compatible social system design methodologies. The commitment to continually advancing the science and art of structured dialogic design draws the AGORAS into alliances with a range of dialogue and design management communities.
The AGORAS coordinates practitioner teams for groundbreaking applications of structured dialogic design.
Some of these innovative applications include:
- Curriculum design and education system reorganization
- Online democratic participation and decision-making platforms
- Healthcare system evolution
- Municipal decision-making process enhancement
A Living Legacy
Over the past two decades, Global Agoras has inspired and equipped pioneers from around the world, including academics, civil servants, activists, and community leaders, to learn, engage, and implement SDD. Their work has strengthened democracy, fostered peace, and advanced sustainability, especially in this era when humanity faces an escalating Global Problématique that demands new modes of collective intelligence and systemic collaboration.
Today, with international leadership and with a growing network of members across continents, the Institute is being revitalized to meet the challenges of the second quarter of the 21st century. Guided by its foundational principles and supported by a new generation of systems thinkers and practitioners, Global Agoras continues its mission:
To nurture inclusive, transparent, and systemic dialogue processes that empower communities to design their shared futures.
Join us in reviving the Agoras: the places where citizens once gathered to deliberate, design, and decide together.
Together, we can reimagine democracy for a complex world.