Forced to Bowl Alone?
The Nation, p. 25, February 2003
5 Pages Posted: 14 Dec 2009
Date Written: February 10, 2003
Abstract
The state of civic participation in the U.S. is the subject of much hand-wringing. The lament is generally that citizens are withdrawn - that civic life is less vibrant than it once was and should be. This book review welcomes Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined its Citizens and Privatized its Public, by Matthew Crenson & Benjamin Ginsburg (2002), as an alternative to the tendency to blame citizens for the current malaise. Crenson & Ginsburg make the case that the government itself has disinvited civic participation in several key ways. The author observes that, notwithstanding this lack of invitation, citizens can and should still take on themselves the responsibility for civic action - not just in traditional political spheres, but in the myriad venues of our everyday lives.
Keywords: civic participation, book review, Downsizing Democracy, inreach, civic engagement, social capital
JEL Classification: K10, K30
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation