National Civic Review articles from June 2002

National Civic Review archives from June 2002

Note from the president.(Brief Article)
June 22, 2002... Much of the National Civic League's work in communities was developed over t e same period in which policymaking authority and responsibility were being devolved from the federal government to state and local governments. As communities adapted...

Deliberative dialogue to expand civic engagement: what kind of talk does democracy need? (Articles).
June 22, 2002... The need to expand and deepen civic engagement is a central theme of a loosely defined and growing civic movement. A strong civic life and a flourishing democracy presume the active involvement of many people across society. Civic engagement is...

Enlisting citizens: building political legitimacy. (Articles).
June 22, 2002... In the first few months of 2002, the Bush administration launched several major initiatives aimed at restoring the health of civic life in the United States. These new ventures, which include the USA Freedom Corps and the Citizen Corps, are...

Public participation in environmental decision making: is it working? (Articles).
June 22, 2002... The point of public participation is that by adding the value-rich perspectives of citizens to the information-rich perspectives of experts, we can create wiser public policy. --Adapted from Daniel Yankelovich, The Magic of Dialogue ...

Trends in philanthropy: democracy as homeland security. (Articles).
June 22, 2002... The war on terrorism, like all wars, challenges democracy. Crises put enormous pressure on representative government to make sound decisions and carry them out effectively They test the values of democracy, as seen in the tension between...

Changing channels: how the nonprofit sector can help improve local television news. (Articles).
June 22, 2002... As the primary source of political information for most Americans, local news plays a critical role in our democracy. (1) As the quality of local news has declined over the last two decades, serious concerns have been raised about the potential...

Fixing elections: the failure of America's winner-take-all politics. (Articles).
June 22, 2002... It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government--except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. --Winston Churchill Voter turnout levels in the single digits are becoming more common across the...

Big wins for democracy: San Francisco and Vermont vote for instant runoff voting. (Articles).
June 22, 2002... The electoral reform option of instant runoff voting (IRV) is continuing to win approval at the ballot box. In March 2002, San Francisco voters supported IRV for citywide elections by an impressive 55 to 45 percent margin, while citizens at...

States and campaign finance reform. (Articles).
June 22, 2002... The role of money in politics at the state level is increasingly coming to resemble the familiar dynamics long entrenched in federal campaigns and elections. A general pattern of increased costs associated with running for election includes...