Diverse group of citizens participating in democratic governance

The Science of Governance

Strategies for the 21st Century

Nonpartisan, evidence-based frameworks and toolkits—drawn from global best practices. Free for citizens and civic leaders.

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Research Library

40+ political philosophy texts from Plato to the Founders. Original works made searchable and accessible. Free forever.

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Interaction Tracker

Privacy-first tool to track interactions with organizations. Know who's responsible. Document what happened. Follow up systematically.

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Best Practices

Evidence-based frameworks from business applied to governance. What works? What doesn't? How do we know?

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LATEST THINKING

Why Governance Failures Are System Design Failures

Most governance debates focus on individual bad actors. But what if the real problem is how we design the systems themselves? Drawing from 29 years of industrial management experience, here's how Six Sigma principles apply to democratic governance.

By James Walton
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Track Interactions in Your Community

Know who's responsible. Document interactions. Maintain systematic records with organizations in your community.

  • Privacy-first: Your data stays on your device
  • Works for any organization: City hall, schools, businesses
  • Simple, systematic tracking: No complex setup
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Tracker Screenshot

Coming Soon

PROVEN PRACTICE

Live-Streamed Legislative Meetings

When Iceland implemented live-streaming of all parliamentary proceedings and published real-time voting records, the results were measurable. Citizen engagement increased 40%, lobbying disclosure improved dramatically, and public trust in government rose.

"Transparency reduces corruption. The data proves it."

From Chaos to Compact book cover - The Emergence of Governance From the State of Nature by James Walton
MARCH 2026

From Chaos to Compact

The Emergence of Governance From the State of Nature

A decade of research synthesizing political philosophy from ancient Greece to America's Founders. How did humans move from the state of nature to organized governance? What principles emerged? What can we learn?

By James Walton

Available March 2026

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Trammels Live: Launch Event

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Date
Spring 2026
(Exact date TBD)
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Location
Midwest
(TBD)
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Topic
The Science of Governance
From Theory to Practice

Join us for the official launch of Trammels. Hear about James Walton's decade of governance research, see the Interaction Tracker in action, and connect with fellow civic engagement advocates.

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Have a Governance Idea?

We're building a database of evidence-based practices. Share your ideas for what works (or doesn't) in governance systems. Every submission is reviewed.

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40+
Texts in Digital Library
500+
Pages of Governance Frameworks
14
Frameworks from Business to Civics