Civic Engagement in American Democracy - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0815728093 ISBN 13: 9780815728092

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press, 1999

Synopsis

American democracy is in many ways more vital than ever before. Advocacy groups proliferate and formerly marginalized groups enjoy new opportunities. But worrisome trends exist. Millions of Americans are drawing back from involvements with community affairs and politics. Voters stay home; public officials grapple with distrust or indifference; and people are less likely to cooperate on behalf of shared goals. Observers across the spectrum of opinion agree that it is vital to determine what is happening and why—so that Americans can take well-informed, effective steps to revitalize our national community. The book opens with an eagle-eye look at the roots of America's special patterns of civic engagement, examining the ways social groups and government and electoral politics have influenced each other. Other chapters examine the impact of advocacy groups and socioeconomic inequalities on democratic processes and probe the influence of long-term social and cultural changes on voluntary associations and civic participation. The book concludes by asking why social liberation has been accompanied by new inequalities and the erosion of many important forms of citizen leverage and participation. Coming together from several disciplines, contributors include Jeffrey M. Berry, Henry E. Brady, John Brehm, Steven Brint, Elisabeth S. Clemens, Peter Dobkin Hall, Wendy M. Rahn, Kay Lehman Schlozman, Sidney Verba, and Robert Wuthnow. Copublished with the Russell Sage Foundation

About this title

About the Author:

Theda Skocpol is Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University and author of Boomerang: Health Reform and the Turn Against Politics (Norton, 1996), and Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States (Harvard, 1992) which won five scholarly awards. Morris P. Fiorina is professor of political science and senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and author of Congress—Keystone of the Washington Establishment (Yale, 1977, 1989), Retrospective Voting in American National Elections (Yale, 1981), and Divided Government (Macmillan, 1992, Allyn & Bacon, 1995).

Review:

"This book belongs on the short list of works produced in the last decade or so about civic life in the United States from which one can actually learn something. The numerous strong articles repay careful attention for anyone interested both in current debates and in figuring out what the next round of debates should address." —David Plotke, New School University, American Journal of Sociology, vol. 106, no. 4

"The consistently high quality of the contributions to this volume make it absolutely essential for students of civic participation, and highly recommended for all who are concerned with the health of American democracy. " —H.L. Reiter, University of Connecticut

About this edition

• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0815728093
• ISBN 13: 9780815728092
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 539
• Editor: Theda Skocpol, Morris P. Fiorina