Project Information

Medium Project Description

April 19 - June 4, 1999

Information Renaissance (Info Ren), the Pittsburgh based non-profit that conducted the first national online discussion for agency rule making in conjunction with the FCC and the Telecommunications Act of 1996, is hosting a seven week online National Dialogue on Social Security. The goal is to help the public understand the issues and participate in the national debate on Social Security.

The National Dialogue will use the power of the Internet to link thousands of Americans in a discussion with policy makers, experts and each other. As a non-partisan event, the Dialogue will encourage a broad range of viewpoints in background materials and discussion. It will include an online library of position papers, four Roundtable discussions, a parallel public discussion, online surveys, and a searchable Web archive to record the ongoing discussions.

Since the Spring of 1998, Americans Discuss Social Security (ADSS) has been promoting a non-partisan public discussion of Social Security through live local forums, video teleconferences and print and broadcast media. Citizens at these events discussed the values and principles they want Social Security to uphold, as well as proposed reform options. ADSS’s National Advisory Board includes Members of Congress, prominent policy researchers, advocacy groups, the investment community, academia and former government officials, with viewpoints spanning the policy spectrum.

The online dialogue complements the work of ADSS. It is based on the belief that, with access to information and a range of viewpoints, ordinary people can provide important comments on complicated public issues. The dialogue does so by relying upon the strengths of the Internet as a quick and inexpensive communications medium.

The Internet enables large numbers of people to access specially-collected information, and it enables them to ask questions, make comments and debate issues. It does this without the costs of copies, postage, travel and long-distance phone calls, and it does it so instantaneously – over the Internet. These advantages also increase the spectrum of viewpoints that can be expressed -- over a broader range of income, age, ethnicity and geographic location.

The National Dialogue is more than an open-ended discussion. It will guide people through an introductory briefing and four major topics:

April 19 - April 23 Introduction, discussion of process, values and background

April 26 - May 7 Why Reform Now?

May 3 - May 14 Options for Reform

May 17 - May 28 Investing in Stocks

May 24 - June 4 Women and Minorities

An initial overview page will also outline elements of the Dialogue and provide regular updates.

Briefing Book (Online reference library).

The Briefing Book will contain a rich collection of background information. The materials explain the Social Security program, its impending problems and a broad range of reform proposals. They include President Clinton’s reform proposal and the broad range of competing proposals. They also include the white papers submitted to the December 1998 White House conference on Social Security. The archive is indexed and searchable.

Roundtables.

Info Ren is organizing four two-week-long Roundtable discussions that address each of the four topics. The panels will include Members of the House Ways and Means Committee, policy researchers, representatives of advocacy groups and the investment community, former government officials and journalists. The panelists will describe their positions, answer questions from the public and debate the issues.

A moderated online public discussion will parallel the Roundtable discussions and provide input and comments to the Roundtables. Info Ren facilitators will encourage all participants to ask questions and share their views with the group. Moderators will keep discussions focused.

Summaries of the discussion will provide a valuable reference for participants and visitors. Messages posted to the discussion will be archived on the project Website, with indexing by author, subject and date. The Web archive will make it easy for newcomers to join in the discussion and provides an ongoing record of the public forum.

Quick Questions, Fast Facts and surveys also increase the interaction in the National Dialogue. Quick Questions poses the most germane and frequently asked questions to the Roundtable panelists. Answers to frequently asked questions, known as Fast Facts, will provide users with easy-to-access reference information. Surveys will be conducted on a regular basis to identify viewpoints on the topics under discussion.

The surveys are simple Web forms which allow many more people to contribute their views than would be practical through the online discussion alone. Rapid access to survey results helps maintain participant interest and provides the basis for further Roundtable discussions.

Beginning April 5, people can register for the public discussion at the project Website: http://www.network-democracy.org/social-security. All participation is free. Early registration is encouraged, but people can join the Dialogue at any time during the seven weeks.

For more information, visit the project Website, e-mail <info@network-democracy.org> or call Information Renaissance at (412) 471-4636.

Info Ren is seeking a large and diverse audience. If your organization has members who are likely to be interested in the National Dialogue, please tell them. Here are some suggestions for how to get the word out:

-- Put a link to the National Dialogue Website from your organization’s Website.

-- Send out a special electronic (or print) announcement to your members.

-- Mention the National Dialogue in mailing list discussions.

-- Create a flyer and distribute it at your next meeting.

-- Include information about the National Dialogue in your next press release.

-- Visit the National Dialogue’s Website for more information!

The National Dialogue on Social Security is funded by a grant from the Prudential Foundation. Information Renaissance is a non-profit organization that promotes the use of computer networks to support public participation in policy issues. Americans Discuss Social Security is a project, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, to engage Americans from all walks of life in a national conversation about the future of Social Security, so their views can help policy makers shape its future.