National Civic Review articles from September 1998

National Civic Review archives from September 1998

The American experiment. (the value of civic participation in overcoming societal decay)
September 22, 1998... Humankind's search for social forms that honor liberty and justice and the worth and dignity of every person is a long, long story - a story that must have begun in fumbling, inarticulate ways tens of thousands of years ago. This article focuses...

Four communities on the cutting edge of change: Seattle, Washington; Lee's Summit, Missouri; Lima, Ohio; and Bronx County, New York.
September 22, 1998... Seattle, Washington: Political Reform It is impossible to have a conversation about cutting-edge political reform without discussing the experiences of Seattle, Washington. Seattle has been a pioneer in efforts to improve electoral democracy...

Systems reform in two cities: Indianapolis, Indiana, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
September 22, 1998... The operating environment for local government has changed enormously in the last twenty years. From downsizing to devolution, from "reinventing government" to reduced federal aid and unfunded mandates, public officials from Albuquerque to...

Targeting community development in Orange County, Florida.
September 22, 1998... One of the most difficult issues in community and economic development is to find a way to respect and extend what Robert D. Putnam(1) has called the "social capital" of the community: those "features of social organization such as networks,...

Five principles for a community that works.
September 22, 1998... Americans are disillusioned with their public institutions, especially the federal government, which seems unable to respond effectively to the problems and challenges we face. Although we generally hold local government in higher esteem -...

Social capital and community building, part 1.
September 22, 1998... Few debates that resound through the halls of academe make their way into popular discussion. But in its issue of July 22, 1996, Time ran a two-page article discussing the merits of the idea of "social capital," developed by Harvard Professor...

Dealing with an Angry Public: The Mutual Gains Approach to Resolving Disputes.
September 22, 1998... by Lawrence Susskind and Patrick Field. New York: Free Press, 1996. 256 pp., $25.00 hardback. Local government elected officials and public managers face many challenges in providing fair and accurate information to citizens and in responding...

Involving Citizens in Community Decision Making: A Guidebook.
September 22, 1998... by James L. Creighton. Washington, D.C.: Program on Community Problem Solving, 1992. 223 pp., $30.00 paperback. Local government elected officials and public managers face many challenges in providing fair and accurate information to citizens...

Public Participation in Public Decisions: New Skills and Strategies for Public Managers.
September 22, 1998... by John Clayton Thomas. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995. 235 pp., $26.95 hardback. Local government elected officials and public managers face many challenges in providing fair and accurate information to citizens and in responding...

Perspectives on public participation. (review of books)
September 22, 1998... Local government elected officials and public managers face many challenges in providing fair and accurate information to citizens and in responding effectively to the concerns of businesses, neighborhoods, and individual citizens on a variety of...