We have inherited the basic mechanism of governance from Classical-Age Athens. The United States was the first modern democracy, and its Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances that gives us all the good reasons for gratitude and admiration. But:

• Is this still a suitable way to respond to the kind of challenges we have today? 
• How has it been evolving?
• When we learn about its limitations—do we have a way to turn them into public issues, and do something about them?

Remember that information technology now enables us to create just about any sort of mechanism we may be able to imagine. 

What can we imagine?

Let's begin by mapping the status quo.

The four articles presented here will raise four issues that have been repeatedly raised—and make them available for a dialog:

• Still a democracy? will investigate whether the people are still in charge
• Speeding into a wall? will explore whether our present of governance combined with our present economy have the basic structure of a time bomb 
• When the fools lead the blind will pose the question whether professional politicians are qualified to govern the complex world; and whether the voters are suitably informed, and given the right options
• Drinking tea with Noah will explore the view that the purpose of democratic mechanisms and institutions such as voting is to is to make people feel that they are in control—while the power and control are distributed in other ways