National Civic Review (NCR), Volume 89, Number 2,Summer 2000
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- Wiley
More About This Title National Civic Review (NCR), Volume 89, Number 2,Summer 2000
English
Accompanying the National Civic League's 105th Conference on Governance entitled New Politics for a New Century, this issue is an impassioned argument against the common assumptions of citizen apathy as a reason for decreasing public engagement in the democratic process. Instead, contributors reveal a sophisticated citizenry with just cause for anger over the obstacles to good government and social change and their growing, media-fed presumption of bad intent from our political leadership. In the face of these daunting factors, this issue examines positive trends in rising politics of volunteerism and philanthropy while demonstrating that these are not the sole solution to collectively effecting social change in our country. Instead, chapters demonstrate methods that the whole tradition of the good-government movement can be reengaged to make government more responsive, and explore the promise of merging traditional good-government movement goals with the active and successful empowerment and poverty movements emerging from communities of color. Other topics discussed include outreach to youth, media accountability, and linking political processes to specific outcomes. Even the concept of political reform, initially developed as a tool to place barriers against the types of fraud and abuses common in voter participation over a hundred years ago, is subject to reform itself. With this issue, the National Civic League offers a powerful resource for those up to facing the task.
