Why US democracy needs 'futures' thinking

Suzette Brooks Masters is a thought leader, political strategist and Senior Fellow at the Democracy Funders Network. She says that for American democracy to thrive, it's not enough to defend the existing system against attack, because the system doesn’t work well for most people. 

She’s been researching ways to invigorate democratic practice, including citizen’s assemblies and participatory budgeting – frameworks that give ordinary people a bigger say in government. And she advocates for storytelling that envisions positive, possible futures. 

LEARN MORE

Suzette Brooks Masters’ articles for The Fulcrum

Imagining Better Futures for American Democracy report

Becoming Futures Ready: How Philanthropy Can Leverage Strategic Foresight For Democracy report

This episode was originally published in May 2025. 

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 The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. The associate producer and graphic designer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org

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