ReportGovernance Studies at Brookings

Democracy Playbook 2025: Seven Pillars to Defend Democracy in 2025 and Beyond

Edited by Norman Eisen & Jonathan Katz, 2025

https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/v4_democracy-playbook-2025.pdf

This third edition of the Democracy Playbook offers evidence-based best practices for reversing democratic backsliding, to help citizens and stakeholders reclaim good governance, transparency, and the rule of law, and strengthen democratic resilience. It outlines how the business sector has historically supported these efforts by fighting corruption (Pillar 3) through actions like opposing state capture, supporting anti-corruption laws, and protecting whistleblowers, in addition to making democracy deliver (Pillar 7) through fair wages, labor rights, and investment in underserved communities. It calls on companies to continue this role, emphasizing that democratic stability is essential for reducing risk and sustaining long-term economic opportunity.

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Tool#unifyUSA and Living Room Conversations

Of, By, and For The People: Living Room Conversation Guide on the Constitution

2025

This guide offers conversation practices and norms that help people move beyond political echo chambers, enabling genuine learning, mutual understanding, and connection across divides.

ToolWe Mean Business Coalition

Responsible Policy Engagement: Corporate Climate Policy Engagement Reporting Template

2025

This framework assists companies in reporting both direct and indirect climate policy engagements aligning advocacy with science-based targets and the Paris Agreement. It provides a structured format for reporting to stakeholders—like investors, NGOs, and regulators—clarifying the company’s role in influencing climate policy and improving accountability.

ArticlePew Research Center

Several Economic Issues Seen as Top National Problems by Americans

2025

This Pew Research report highlights inflation, healthcare affordability, and the federal budget deficit as top economic concerns shaping public grievances and trust in business, with money in politics emerging as a critical related issue undermining confidence in institutions.

ReportUniversity of Pennsylvania

Steady On: Toward Principled, Sustainable Corporate Leadership Addressing the Reality of Human-Caused Climate Change

Leo E. Strine, Jr., 2025

Urges corporate leaders to stay the course on climate action, integrating sustainability into core governance and fiduciary duties. Strine offers a critique of anti-ESG backlash as inconsistent with capitalism and argues that long-term climate leadership protects workers, investors, and the economy.

ReportGlobescan

Sustainability in the USA: What Consumers Think and Expect in 2025

2025

This report uses the UN SDGs to assess U.S. sustainability progress, highlighting where the country is falling short—especially on inequality, climate, and declining trust in institutions. It emphasizes that public expectations are rising, and urges businesses to align with enduring values and evolving customer priorities through transparency, collaboration, and long-term strategy.

ReportSSRN

Sustainable Fiduciary Duties for Investors -- How fiduciary duties can be a key to escape the climate prisoner’s dilemma

Andreas Wildner and Maurits Dolmands, 2025

This paper shows how applying fiduciary duty to investors can bridge the gap to common-sense climate action by helping overcome the collective action problem that often slows climate-aligned investment. By recognizing climate and nature risks as financially material, investors can shift from passive market participants to active actors in the clean economy transition, reducing systemic risks and aligning portfolios with long-term climate goals

ArticleThe Shareholder Commons

System Stewardship Isn't Politics: It's Capitalism

2025

This piece explains “system stewardship,” where investors consider how company actions affect the broader economy and long-term market health. It emphasizes that this approach is not political but financial, highlighting reports showing that climate change and diversity can create systemic risks that investors should address to protect returns.

WebsiteDuke Fuqua School

The Dialogue Project: How Business Can Reduce Polarization and Build Common Purpose

2025

Housed in Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, is an initiative to explore the role business can play to reduce polarization and improve civic dialogue. Their website offers research and data on dialogue and engagement, showcases corporate initiatives that build common purpose, features news and business leaders’ perspectives, and hosts events to equip current and future leaders to navigate polarization and foster constructive conversations.

WebsiteCenter for Collaborative Democracy

The Grand Bargain Project

2025

The Grand Bargain Project finds that Americans across party lines identify the same six priorities—economic opportunity, education, healthcare, national debt, clean energy, and tax reform—as critical, with surveys showing over 90% agreement on their importance. Even more encouraging, when comparing the status quo to a shared package of 35 reforms, 77% preferred the reforms. These results point to rare cross-partisan convergence on both the problems and potential solutions, and a possible place for constructive engagement.

ReportIpsos Knowledge Center

The Ipsos Populism Report 2025

2025

Based on interviews with more than 23,000 citizens across 31 countries, Ipsos finds persistent public distrust in elites, globalization, and economic systems—driving polarization across both advanced and emerging economies. These trends underscore the need for companies to account for public sentiment and political division when shaping public affairs strategies and stakeholder engagement, especially in regions where legitimacy and trust are increasingly strained.

ArticleFiveThirtyEight

The Moderate Middle Is A Myth

Lee Drutman, 2025

Data analysis shows that voters labeled as moderates, independents, or undecided hold diverse and often conflicting views, undermining the idea of a unified “moderate middle” in today’s polarized political landscape.

WebsiteLaboratory for the American Conversation - Oregon State University Cascades

The Science of Public Discourse: A Guide for Navigating Divisive Conversations

2025

This continuing education online course by The Laboratory for the American Conversation is designed to help you understand how to have contentious conversations that don't escalate into the culture wars that have become all too common. You can apply this in your workplace and with family and friends.

ReportAllstate

The Trust Tipping Point

2025

Allstate’s 2025 research finds that trust in America is at a tipping point. While only 41% of Americans trust people across the U.S., the majority remain optimistic about their communities. The report emphasizes that rebuilding trust starts locally through engagement, leadership, and connection, and offers a three-part strategy: fostering interpersonal trust, investing in community leadership, and scaling trust-building efforts to strengthen democracy and economic resilience

ReportPolicyLink

The Values We Share: Views on Government, Fairness, and Equal Protection in the United States

Anna Kim, Vanice Dunn, and Gretchen Barton of Worthy Strategy, 2025

Interviews with 48 Americans from across ideological and demographic groups reveal broad commonality in wanting fairness and clear expectations of government—such as equal rule enforcement, responsive leadership, transparent decision-making, and dignified public services. At the same time, people diverge on what constitutes fairness, with some emphasizing opportunity, others consistent process, and others tangible outcomes that prove fairness is real. Provides a starting point for stakeholder engagement, and suggests approaches that speak to concerns across the political spectrum.

PresentationThird Side Strategies

Third Side Strategies Information Sheet

2025

An introduction to Third Side Strategies, including the rationale for focusing on CPR Governance to enable long-term value for business and society. Outlines the main motivations -- including Risk Management, Long-term Value Creation, and Supporting Business Purpose and Fiduciary Duty. Includes the main services offered and how to get involved

ReportBCG and University of Cambridge

Too Hot to Think Straight, Too Cold to Panic: Landing the Economic Case for Climate Action with Decision Makers

Amine Benayad, Annalena Hagenauer, Lars Holm, Edmond Rhys Jones, Sahradha Kämmerer, Hamid Maher, Kamiar Mohaddes, Sylvain Santamarta, and Annika Zawadzki, 2025

This report examines the economics of action and inaction on climate, energy and the environment, and finds that failing to limit global warming to below 2°C could reduce cumulative global GDP by 15% to 34% by 2100. Conversely, the analysis suggested that investing 1% to 2% of global GDP in mitigation and adaptation efforts would significantly reduce these economic damages. They conclude that the net cost of inaction—climate change impacts minus the cost of action—is estimated at 11% to 27% of cumulative GDP, underscoring the economic imperative for proactive climate and energy strategies.

ArticleSHRM

Top 5 Geopolitical Threats to Businesses in 2025

Ashleigh Popera, 2025

Summarizes five key threats based on The Conference Board’s C-Suite Outlook 2025 report, including international rivalries, global political instability, trade disruption, rising nationalism and political polarization in the workplace. Recommends assessing risk and governance, leveraging innovation and digital transformation, and strengthening cybersecurity.

ArticleThe New Yorker

What Could Citizens' Assemblies Do for American Politics?

Nick Romeo, 2025

Explores how citizens' assemblies—randomly selected groups with active facilitation deliberating on policy—could improve U.S. democratic decision-making, improve trust and reduce polarization. Shares a successful initiative in Oregon to address youth homelessness.

BookRiverhead Books

Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service

Michael Lewis, Casey Cep, Dave Eggers, John Lanchester, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell, and W. Kamau Bell, 2025

This book explores who works for the government and specifically what work do they do. In a time of increased focus on government workers, this book explores the role of government workers through specific examples and stories.

ArticleUC Berkeley News

With right and left deeply divided, emerging UC Berkeley groups embrace the ‘vital center’

Edward Lempinen, 2025

Emerging student groups at UC Berkeley are creating spaces fostering respectful connection across political divides by promoting civil discourse, hosting open debates, and offering courses that equip students with skills to engage diverse perspectives—grounded in the belief that seeking knowledge is the primary mission.

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