Sound public policy requires more than simply informed policy makers. It also demands an informed citizenry engaged in the debate about the issues. To engage citizens in such debate, Research Atlanta maintains an extensive website, provides technical assistance and education to community groups and collaborates with other organizations to present special programs. In 1999, Research Atlanta continued to partner with AccessAtlanta to enhance its Internet presence by offering online bulletin board chats and polls on policy issues. Research Atlanta also posted more information from its reports and added a search engine to its website to make it easier for individuals to educate themselves about community problems.
Technical assistance is an important component of Research Atlanta's work.
This past year, Executive Director Tom Weyandt and Associate Director Sam Marie Engle served as technical advisors, members, or consultants to 41 community agencies, commissions, and policy review task forces. Perhaps Research Atlanta's most successful community outreach effort has been the Take Issue Atlanta forum series. Thanks to a partnership with Georgia Public Television, Take Issue Atlanta engaged more than 150,000 Georgians in discussions about public policy issues. This project is described in greater detail below. Research Atlanta's work consistently garners media attention.