Institute for America's Future

Perception Institute: perception Institute operates as a consortium of researchers and practitioners who seek to identify effective interventions to address ways in which social identity differences result in systematic and individual inequity. We rely heavily on social science social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and sociology to understand the mechanisms underlying inequity resulting from human behavior and institutional outcomes. We assess how interventions from a wide array of contexts indigenous practices, mediation, restorative justice frameworks, cognitive psychology can be employed to change institutional dynamics. We also engage in original research to understand how societal narratives about race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and other social identities can affect how these social identities are constructed. Below we describe a slice of the substantive work we have been engaged in during 2022. Confronting bias in targeted sectors:most of perception's work in recent years has been appliedworking with organizations and systems to address race and other identity dynamics undermining belonging and equity in workplaces. In addition to the targeted sectors that perception has focused its work on from its inception, it has expanded its focus more recently to philanthropy, to media, with its power to shift narratives in popular culture, and a range of nonprofits across sectors. Courts and law reform:perception has a long history of working for law reform and fairness in the courts. Here we highlight a few current projects: new york courts: after producing the video for prospective jurors in 2020, in 2021, perception began to work intensively to address bias within the court system. This included a survey of all staff members and based upon the findings from that survey, the creation of an introductory video to all staff, justice and fairness for all: dignity and respect in the new york state unified court system. Perception's work with the nyucs to date - the jury video and the introductory staff video - recently won a silver anthem award. Perception's work with the new york court system continued in 2022 with a video for town and village justices, who hear almost a million cases per year. This group has had a disproportionate share of claims of racial bias. Additional states: the jury video has been of interest to other state court systems as well as serving as a source for federal courts that are considering developing a jury video. A court system in California, for example, is licensing a version of the video that portrays images from California and an introduction and conclusion by a California judge. Attorneys general and prosecutors: perception has been working with the new york attorney general's office to provide cle work on implicit bias. In 2022, this work developed a more granular focus on content specific decision-making in the environmental justice sector. Educational equity:perception works closely with individual schools, both private and public, to support their equity efforts. This work occurs in k-12 as well as higher education. The engagements differ in length and level of intensity, ranging from workshops for hiring committees or admissions counselors in the university settings, to working closely with teachers and students at the k-12 level. In addition to the work to support directed efforts at individual schools, perception has engaged in large scale research projects with public school districts. These include: the elk grove school district, kalamazoo school district, and the boston public school district. The research with elk grove and kalamazoo school district has resulted in an intervention that has shown success in preventing "positive feedback bias" by teachers toward black students and increased efficacy in teachers to provide effective feedback. It is being written into a paper for peer review. The boston public school research included a study of more than 1,000 teachers and was recently published: the escalation effects in teacher perceptions of classroom behavior in a us context: the intersection roles of student race, gender, and behavior severity, social psychology of education (2023). Equity in philanthropy:when organizations that are inspired by a public interest mission are experiencing internal discord based upon the inconsistency between the stated external values and the internal operations, the impacts are both felt by staff and can undermine the ability of the organization to realize its mission. Perception's 2022 clients include: the einhorn collaborative and fb heron foundation. Gender and health equity:the planned parenthood federation of america engaged perception, in 2020, to be its key partner in its racial equity work, at both the national and affiliate level. Perception conducted an extensive climate & belonging survey (both quantitative and qualitative) of over 6,000 staff, as well as significant additional research to understand the internal dynamics undermining the experience of belonging and fairness within planned parenthood. In 2022, perception stewarded the work of the pp belonging & equity workgroup, facilitating a critical review of dei training modules and materials. We have also set out to create a diversity and inclusion resource guide for all affiliates with information to support them in their work to address the issues raised in the 2020 climate and belonging assessment. 2 belonging in mission driven institutions ppfa: belonging & equity workgroup we have been stewarding the work of the pp belonging & equity workgroup. Thus far, we have facilitated a critical review of the national office's board dei training modules and materials. We have also set out to create a diversity and inclusion resource guide for all affiliates with information to support them in their work to address the issues raised in the 2020 climate and belonging assessment. Planned parenthood California central coast we led a conflict resolution process and ongoing coaching for senior leaders. Phase i was completed in the summer of 2022. We have since begun phase ii, weekly coaching with their chief medical officer and report outs to the chief executive officer. Planned parenthood south Texas we have been leading sessions for the board over the last two years and are moving into the final session, in person with senior leaders in february 2023. Planned parenthood of southern new england/ planned parenthood votes! Rhode island we have been leading a conflict resolution process for their c4 board, which, amid local political strife, fell into conflict. We have helped them to create working agreements on how they will operate moving forward. Phase i was completed in 2022. Phase ii has started and includes a scope to coach their chief executive officer. Virginia league of planned parenthood (vlpp) most notably, we have designed a year-long leadership development series for all senior leaders at vlpp. We are focusing on cultivating a culture of dignity and belonging. The group meets monthly.

Foreign affairs:work by robert borosage +other programsborosage has been reading, writing and discussing widely in preparation for the possibility of writing a book about our times. Iaf has focused on the failure of the establishment, the collapse of what was a bipartisan consensus about the us as a neoliberal uni-power in the full flush of its glory, and the venomous politics that comes out of this. What most interests borosage is the potential for movements building a majority governing coalition around a new populist agenda. He would also examine the ominous alternative: a minority multi-racial working class party forged on a faux populism and fierce xenophobia willing and perhaps able to rule despite minority status, an establishment reassertion willing to use powers of the state to suppress alternatives, etc. I hope to develop a treatment at the beginning of next year and decide on whether to undertake the project then.a good part of borosage's work relates to strengthening ideas that fuel the work of progressives in congress. He chairs the congressional progressive caucus center board and serves on the board of its sister, cpcaction fund. The cpc center and action fund have helped develop ideas for the progressive agenda and, through the action fund, coordinate progressive groups to bolster the progressive position. Under the extraordinary leadership of pramila jayapal, the cpc has played a key role in attempting to salvage fundamental reforms in a period where any single senate democrat can put a spanner in the works. Cpc members have also driven reforms seeking to curb presidential war-making powers, among other issues.finally, we remain active on the informal progressive roundtable that we helped put together with senator jeff merkley that brings together progressive senators with leading progressive multi-issue groups to talk strategy, share ideas and information.

Public leadership institute:the public leadership Institute (pli) project conducted training for policymakers, including understanding how public policy can be designed to address social and economic problems, how to analyze and design public policy, effective governance and decision-making, and how to develop public messaging and communicate effectively with the public. Pli developed model legislation that is publicly available on its website and compiled model bills in the progress agenda guide, which it distrusted to policymakers in all 50 states and published on its website. Pli also conducted virtual and in-person skills-building training on public speaking, media relations, and coalition building.

Economy pledge:our work in 2022 has been modest, building on the work of previous.roger hickey has continued to work to build support for our solidarity agenda pledge to fight for jobs, sustainability and economic justice, which has been signed by more than 20,000 activists as well as the original 100 prominent signers. Over recent years, the national debate over rebuilding the economy after the covid-triggered economy has been influenced by the solidarity agenda pledge and it's five-point program. In recent months, hickey and other original signers have distributed articles by those signers via the solidarity agenda blog. The major principles of the solidarity agenda remain the same, with the addition of two additional principles, vi and vii:i. Invest in economic recovery, sustainable growth and green jobsii. Fight inequalityiii. A new social contractiv. Transform corporate powerv. A global economic strategy for working americansvi. Guarantee the constitutional right ofwomen to control their reproductive decisions.vii. All americans have a right to a democracyfor all people - and in every part of the country.hickey and other signers have been working with groups and coalitions that have been organizing around key parts of the solidarity agenda continuing to build the debate around the remaining work that needs to be done around economic recovery, global warming, fighting inequality, an expanded social contract, needed changes to the power of corporations and a global strategy for working americans.over many years articles written for iaf and caf have been published on our blog. But in recent years it has become harder to find those blog posts. So in late 2022 we began an effort to collect those blog posts and to make them available on our solidarity agenda website. Robert borosage is writing regularly on economics and politics at the nation, and those articles are reprinted in many other places. He is also involved in regular work with key congressional leaders and leaders of progressive organizations and he serves as president of the newly-revitalized congressional progressive caucus center.