National Civic Review articles from September 2006

National Civic Review archives from September 2006

Note from the editor.(National Municipal League)(Editorial)
September 22, 2006... In 1925, the National Municipal League conducted a pioneering study on the subject of intergovernmental cooperation and consolidation. Writing that year in the National Municipal Review, University of Michigan professor Thomas H. Reed...

Public engagement in California escaping the vicious cycle.
September 22, 2006... A Downward Spiral In recent years, the average Californian's dissatisfaction with the state's system of governance has intensified to an unprecedented level. The last decade has witnessed severe strains and spectacular breakdowns in the...

Priming the pump to promote intermunicipal consolidation.
September 22, 2006... To be sure, much of the blame also rests with New York State. The Empire State's high taxes have not done anything to attract people and jobs either. Even so, other regions of the state have fared better than Western New York. The cost of...

Can a federal regulator become a civic enabler? Watersheds at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
September 22, 2006... In their influential 1990 book on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, political scientist Marc Landy and his colleagues criticized the agency for "asking the wrong questions." They argued that EPA downplayed real places in favor of...

Donors and fundraising in the 2004 Presidential Campaigns.
September 22, 2006... No other nation spends as much money as the United States in electing its political leaders, and in no other nation is campaign fundraising so conspicuous or so embedded in political life. Fundraising is an overriding concern for candidates and...

The missing half: ensuring fair representation in Essex, Vermont.
September 22, 2006... The Town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction now are holding such a discussion. The Merger Task Force is discussing whether and how a merger could be accomplished. In many ways, this is a unique opportunity to heal old rifts that have...

Youth engaged in service: a strategy for promoting democracy.
September 22, 2006... For a democracy to thrive, a nation's youth must be prepared and willing to take their place as active, principled adult citizens. From voting to engaging in political discourse to understanding how political systems operate, each successive...

Using political power to convene.
September 22, 2006... Convening is a powerful tool available to leaders who want to address complex problems that cannot be resolved without shared responsibility and joint action. The power to convene is neither as widely recognized nor as appreciated as it ought...

Baltimore's urban debaters prove the word is mightier than the sword.
September 22, 2006... At 8:00 A.M. on a cold Saturday morning, most of Chris and Dayvon's friends are at home asleep. But these seniors from Baltimore's struggling Forest Park High School have set up shop in the cafeteria of a rival high school and are hunched over...