Download or read book Civic Failure and Its Threat to Democracy written by Chapman Rackaway and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2016-12-14 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The greatest threat to American democracy is the voting public. Candidates for political office, organized interests, and political parties are often blamed for the ills of American democracy, but this book places the focus on the core issue in American politics: a disengaged, demanding, and often contradictory voting public. Structural reforms such as the direct primary, term limits, and campaign finance regime reforms make the problems worse rather than better because these structural reforms fail to address core issues that disengage the voting public from republican politics.
Download or read book The Civic Bargain written by Brook Manville and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-09-19 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful case for democracy and how it can adapt and survive—if we want it to Is democracy in trouble, perhaps even dying? Pundits say so, and polls show that most Americans believe that their country’s system of governance is being “tested” or is “under attack.” But is the future of democracy necessarily so dire? In The Civic Bargain, Brook Manville and Josiah Ober push back against the prevailing pessimism about the fate of democracy around the world. Instead of an epitaph for democracy, they offer a guide for democratic renewal, calling on citizens to recommit to a “civic bargain” with one another to guarantee civic rights of freedom, equality, and dignity. That bargain also requires them to fulfill the duties of democratic citizenship: governing themselves with no “boss” except one another, embracing compromise, treating each other as civic friends, and investing in civic education for each rising generation. Manville and Ober trace the long progression toward self-government through four key moments in democracy’s history: Classical Athens, Republican Rome, Great Britain’s constitutional monarchy, and America’s founding. Comparing what worked and what failed in each case, they draw out lessons for how modern democracies can survive and thrive. Manville and Ober show that democracy isn’t about getting everything we want; it’s about agreeing on a shared framework for pursuing our often conflicting aims. Crucially, citizens need to be able to compromise, and must not treat one another as political enemies. And we must accept imperfection; democracy is never finished but evolves and renews itself continually. As long as the civic bargain is maintained—through deliberation, bargaining, and compromise—democracy will live.
Download or read book The Proper Role of Higher Education in a Democratic Society written by Bowhay, Vincent and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2021-06-25 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American higher education has served to prepare students to be active participants in a democratic society. During a time of great civil upheaval following the tumultuous elections of 2016 and 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and mass demonstrations following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, higher education may be the only institution left to be both responsible for and responsive to society at large. Public trust in the federal government is at near-record lows, but confidence in higher education has decreased more than any other U.S. institution since 2015. In a time where public opinion is quickly changing for the better or the worse, higher education must respond to this decline in trust in it as an institution, but also the decline in the belief that a college degree is worth the time and cost. Higher education was founded on the idea that colleges would prepare citizens for a life of public service, but they have quickly changed to a business model that largely puts profits over people. Practitioners of higher education must respond to this lack of trust and the pressures of preparing a 21st century workforce while battling the threats of a pandemic, declining enrollment, budget destabilization, and increased regulation. The Proper Role of Higher Education in a Democratic Society reexamines the purpose of higher education during rapidly changing times, offers practical advice and best practices to reclaim higher education’s most fundamental mission, and argues that if higher education is called to prepare students to serve a government by the people, the people must be prepared to govern effectively. This book provides resources and suggestions for restoring the public faith in higher education by connecting the educational experience with civic engagement outcomes. Diverse perspectives presented in this book challenge traditional notions that civic engagement is handled by one office on a college campus and is only discussed during a presidential election. Covering everything from civic engagement to diversity perspectives, this book is ideal for higher education practitioners and those interested in promoting civic engagement and democratic participation, improving assessment or accreditation standards using a civic engagement perspective, and infusing civic engagement to diversity conversations on campus.
Download or read book Our Own Worst Enemy written by David G. Bowman and published by . This book was released on 2005-04 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is comprised of two tales with a similar group of young adults trying to make their place in the world while dealing with relationships within the group. It is a story of young people at a crossroads in their lives and how they comically deal with situations that come up in their lives. Both can be considered satires. The author affectionately deals with the characters, however, with empathy towards their plights.
Download or read book FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY written by Thomas E. Brymer and published by BookLocker.com, Inc.. This book was released on 2022-10-15 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our democracy is now under attack from within and without as it has never been since the Civil War. Yet, the evidence is clear that Americans are, as a whole, civically illiterate, and woefully unprepared for the assault our democracy is undergoing. For Americans to be prepared to function effectively as constructive citizens in their democracy in the 21st century and beyond, they must be equipped with knowledge and a skill set that is not effectively taught today. Fighting for Democracy is a call to deconstruct our civics education in this country and reconstruct it to meet the complex needs and pressures our democracy faces today. Certainly, the civics of tomorrow must include continuing what we teach today about the structure, organization, and how (at least in theory) our government is supposed to function. But there is far, far more that must be taught to deal with the siege our democracy is now under. Fighting for Democracy provides a roadmap for improving our civic education so we can withstand this anti-democratic movement now underway here. We must teach Americans about servant leadership and how to recognize counterfeit leaders who wish to lead us with leadership styles that are toxic and antithetical to democracy including autocracy, fascism, kleptocracy, and populism. We must return to a national consensus as to the importance in a democracy of a free news media that is an arbiter of truth and not simply a funnel for one-sided biased opinions and editorials masquerading as factual news. Americans must relearn how to think critically, recognize major change in the public square, as well as readily identify when we are not being told the truth, are being gaslighted, and worse, becoming willing to accept conspiracy theories and radicalization of our political parties as being normative. We must gain a clearer understanding of the multi-dimensional concept of freedom, democratic norms and values, our history, as well as to once again value public service. We must reconnect with a love for the idea of democracy itself which includes a keen appreciation for the “glue” that holds it together- the common good. At the same time, we must rediscover why our Founders believed democracy, while sometimes “messy”, was ultimately the one form of government that could truly serve We the People and provide Americans with the best means possible for pursuing as a nation our hopes, dreams, our freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. All these concepts, ideas, truths, and more, are a must for Americans to know in order to be able to fight, and for us to keep, our democracy in today’s increasingly anti-democratic world. That is the purpose of Fighting for Democracy. Make no mistake about our democracy, We the People must learn now, and quickly, how to improve our civically literacy, including how to become better informed and more constructively engaged citizens. If we do not, we will not be able to effectively fight to keep our democracy and risk losing everything we have fought for since our nation’s birth. And American democracy is indeed worth fighting for- not just for us today, but most importantly for our children, grandchildren, and all future generations of Americans. Fighting for Democracy was written to equip us to do exactly that.
Download or read book American Political Parties Under Pressure written by Chapman Rackaway and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-08-02 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the changing electoral and political circumstances in which American political parties found themselves during the 2016 election, and the strategic adaptations this new pressure may require. The respective establishments of both major political parties have found themselves facing serious challenges. Some observers wondered if realignment was in progress, and whether the parties could survive. Both grounded in research and accessible to more than just academics, this book provides important insights into how political parties can move forward from 2016.
Download or read book Democracy s Troubles written by John E. Miller and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2019-12-31 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evidence is accumulating that democracy is under siege--in the United States and around the world. This volume identifies and explains a dozen separate challenges threatening American democracy today. Sorting these challenges into political and social-cultural problems, each is placed in an historical context to describe how they work together to undermine the democratic underpinnings of the nation. Opening with a sketch of the historical development of democracy, this book makes the case for improved civic education, rebuilding trust in institutions and leaders, promoting good character and the revitalization of the healthy community. A renewed commitment to governmental institutions is necessary for the people to fulfill democracy's promise.
Download or read book Citizenship in Hard Times written by Sara Wallace Goodman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-01-20 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do citizens do in response to threats to democracy? This book examines the mass politics of civic obligation in the US, UK, and Germany. Exploring threats like foreign interference in elections and polarization, Sara Wallace Goodman shows that citizens respond to threats to democracy as partisans, interpreting civic obligation through a partisan lens that is shaped by their country's political institutions. This divided, partisan citizenship makes democratic problems worse by eroding the national unity required for democratic stability. Employing novel survey experiments in a cross-national research design, Citizenship in Hard Times presents the first comprehensive and comparative analysis of citizenship norms in the face of democratic threat. In showing partisan citizens are not a reliable bulwark against democratic backsliding, Goodman identifies a key vulnerability in the mass politics of democratic order. In times of democratic crisis, defenders of democracy must work to fortify the shared foundations of democratic citizenship.
Download or read book Politics in the Trenches written by Thomas J. Volgy and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Politics in the Trenches, Volgy shows what really happens behind the scenes of government. He contrasts perception with reality regarding the rewards and perks of office. He examines the process of experimentation in the political laboratory and shows how the news media distort it. He provides a case study of homelessness to illustrate the system's constraints. And he offers a chapter on a typical week in office that will be an eye-opener for most readers."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book The African Press Civic Cynicism and Democracy written by M. Ibelema and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-12-25 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the thesis that civic cynicism in African countries is a major obstacle to the consolidation of democracy, and that the African press should address the problem not just among leaders, but also among the general populace.
Download or read book Democracy and Its Crisis written by A. C. Grayling and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-09-07 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The EU referendum in the UK and Trump’s victory in the USA sent shockwaves through our democratic systems. In Democracy and Its Crisis A. C. Grayling investigates why the institutions of representative democracy seem unable to hold up against forces they were designed to manage, and why it matters. First he considers those moments in history when the challenges we face today were first encountered and what solutions were found. Then he lays bare the specific threats facing democracy today. The paperback edition includes new material on the reforms that are needed to make our system truly democratic.
Download or read book Civic Engagement in American Democracy written by Theda Skocpol and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2004-05-13 with total page 541 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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
Download or read book Become America written by Eric Liu and published by Sasquatch Books. This book was released on 2019-05-14 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Book Review New and Noteworthy Book This collection of 19 essays on democracy, equal justice, and citizenship “exhorts Americans to love the nation they have by becoming the nation they want” (The Washington Post). What does it mean to be an engaged American in today’s divided political landscape, and how do we restore hope in our country? In a collection of “civic sermons” delivered at gatherings around the nation, popular advocate for active citizenship Eric Liu takes on these thorny questions and provides inspiration and solace in a time of anger, fear, and dismay over the state of the Union. Here are 19 stirring explorations of current and timeless topics about democracy, liberty, equal justice, and powerful citizenship. This book will energize you to get involved, in ways both large and small, to help rebuild a country that you’re proud to call home. Become America will challenge you to rehumanize our politics and rekindle a spirit of love in civic life.
Download or read book Constitutional Democracy Under Stress written by Peter L Biro and published by Mosaic Press. This book was released on 2022-12-31 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Constitutional democracy is not just any old form of democracy. It has a peculiar logic and is premised upon some exacting criteria and principles including good laws and institutions predicated on specific fundamental core values and principles. But it is, when fully ingrained in the public sensibility, a sort of civic serum necessary to inoculate free citizens against the ravages of anti-democratic populism, authoritarianism, racism, nativism, discrimination, xenophobia, corruption, self-dealing, and much worse. The need for civic inoculation of that sort is urgent today, globally. The essays in this volume probe the sources and malaise now confronting Constitutional Democracy. However, they go muchfurther. Many of the essays are, indeed, road-maps for a realistic and cultivated response to our present condition. The clues for a rehabilitated democracy are found here analytically but also prescriptively.
Download or read book Democracy as Problem Solving written by Xavier De Souza Briggs and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2008-07-18 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Case studies from around the world and theoretical discussion show how the capacity to act collectively on local problems can be developed, strengthening democracy while changing social and economic outcomes. Complexity, division, mistrust, and “process paralysis” can thwart leaders and others when they tackle local challenges. In Democracy as Problem Solving, Xavier de Souza Briggs shows how civic capacity—the capacity to create and sustain smart collective action—can be developed and used. In an era of sharp debate over the conditions under which democracy can develop while broadening participation and building community, Briggs argues that understanding and building civic capacity is crucial for strengthening governance and changing the state of the world in the process. More than managing a contest among interest groups or spurring deliberation to reframe issues, democracy can be what the public most desires: a recipe for significant progress on important problems. Briggs examines efforts in six cities, in the United States, Brazil, India, and South Africa, that face the millennial challenges of rapid urban growth, economic restructuring, and investing in the next generation. These challenges demand the engagement of government, business, and nongovernmental sectors. And the keys to progress include the ability to combine learning and bargaining continuously, forge multiple forms of accountability, and find ways to leverage the capacity of the grassroots and what Briggs terms the “grasstops,” regardless of who initiates change or who participates over time. Civic capacity, Briggs shows, can—and must—be developed even in places that lack traditions of cooperative civic action.
Download or read book The Future of Civic Education written by Elizabeth Yeager Washington and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-10-01 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Speaking to the need to move beyond traditional formulations, this textbook presents radical visions for transforming civic education in the United States. Drawing on the experience of educators and scholars—including those rooted in feminist, queer, abolitionist, global, and race-conscious perspectives—this work offers new, practical ideas for civic education reform. Responding to recent political crises, many scholars, educators, and public commentators have called for a rebirth of civic education, but these all are grounded in the premise that the goal of civic education should be to teach students about the U.S. Constitutional system and how to operate within it. This book argues that the U.S. governmental system, including the Constitution, is infused with racist and anti-democratic premises and procedures. It asks: How can we seek a new path—one that is more democratic, more equitable, and more humane? A diverse range of leading civic educators, who are willing not just to push the boundaries of civic education but to operate outside its assumptions altogether, explore what future possibilities for civic education might look like and how these innovative ideas could be implemented in the classroom. Combining theory with practice, The Future of Civic Education will be important reading for those studying or researching in social studies methods, social studies issues, citizenship, and civic education. It will also be beneficial to social studies teachers at elementary and secondary levels, as well as policymakers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Download or read book The Revolutionary City written by Mark R. Beissinger and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2022-04-12 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: List of illustrations -- List of tables -- Preface -- Introduction: revolution and the city -- A spatial theory of revolution -- The growth and urbanization of revolution -- The urban civic revolutionary moment -- The repression-disruption trade-off and the shifting odds of success -- Revolutionary contingency and the city -- Public space and urban revolution -- The individual and collective action in urban civic revolution -- The pacification of revolution -- The evolving impact of revolution -- The city and the future of revolution -- Appendix 1. construction of cross-national data on revolutionary episodes -- Appendix 2. revolutionary episodes, 1900-2014 -- Appendix 3. data sources used in statistical analyses -- Appendix 4. choices of statistical models.
