Focus Areas

The New Politics Institutes focuses its work on two main bodies of study: the changing Technology and Media world, and the Coming America. These two areas are having and increasingly will have a dramatic impact on American politics. It’s important for progressives to understand these changes that are already impacting the economy, society and culture, and now doing so with politics.

The Technology and Media area is a huge one for us because every sector of today’s media is in a state of transition due to changes in technology and a general convergence onto each others’ terrain. One way to organize them is to think of three major sub-categories: Traditional Media in Transition, such as Television that is evolving from its predominant status; Current New Media, such as Weblogs that already are making a big mark on politics, and Next Wave Media, such as Mobile Media, which is in a more experimental phase.

The Coming America area focuses on some key groups of Americans who will play an important part in politics in the decades ahead. There are many groups of importance to the progressive coalition but we have been focusing on three: The Millennial Generation of young people born between 1978 and 1996; Hispanics whose burgeoning presence continues to make waves; and people in The Exurbs, who have been diversifying in recent years and offer progressives an underappreciated opportunity.

The Sidebar (on the right) shows some of the sub-areas The New Politics Institutes is exploring or plans to explore more in the year ahead. This is not a comprehensive list, but suggestive of the kinds of topics we are watching.