National Civic Review Summer Edition Now Open Access

The latest edition of the National Civic Review, in partnership with The Kettering Foundation, addresses the global threats to democracy and the urgent need for solutions. The articles emphasize the importance of citizen engagement, democracy innovation, and public deliberation. Highlights include discussions on the dual meanings of democracy, efforts to end gerrymandering in Ohio, the spread of public incivility, the impact of social capital on COVID-19 vaccination rates, and the need for more deliberative public meetings. The online edition is now open access, and readers can explore featured articles. Read the blog post below and learn more here. 

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Release: National Civic Review Summer Edition

​Our partnership with The Kettering Foundation continues with this edition of the National Civic Review, focusing, as does the Foundation, on the escalating threats to democracy globally and the urgent need for solutions. Articles in this edition highlight the need for genuine citizen engagement, democracy innovation, and public deliberation.

The online edition of the Review is now open access. You can read it here and check out brief summaries of the included articles below.

Return of the Citizen, by Harry C. Boyte

• Historically, two contrasting meanings of democracy and democratic governance have co-existed within the United States. One emphasizes politicians and government and the other the agency of the people.

Ending Gerrymandering in Ohio: A Conversation with former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor

• Gerrymandered legislative districts distort democracy and reduce the power of voters to elect their chosen representatives. A former Ohio jurist discusses an effort by a civic organization to reform the redistricting process in her state.

Incivility Anywhere Is a Threat to Civility Everywhere, by Diane Kalen-Sukra

• Public incivility and toxic behavior can spread like contagion if unchecked, weakening our ability to collaborate and cooperate to solve the complex challenges our local governments face.

Social Capital, Partisanship and the Need for Bridging and Linking Social Capital: Evidence from COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in the U.S., by Kun Huang, Bin Chen, Zhiwei Zhang, Gao Liu

• Social capital, the interpersonal links that allow groups and people to work together, can be a double-edged sword when it comes to vaccinating members of the public against COVID. It can be productive or unproductive, depending on the partisan lens through which it communicates, shares and sustains.

Making Public Meetings More Deliberative, by Nick Vlahos

• Authentic public deliberation seldom happens in the official interactions between citizens and government in America today. But efforts to introduce deliberative discussions in official meetings sometimes meets resistance from political leaders and members of the public.

“Shop Local” Buries the Lede: Thriving Local Business Districts are Vital to a City’s Home Values, by Frank J. Martin

• Shop Local campaigns often miss a great opportunity to connect the dots for community members and show them how their purchasing choices directly affect their own balance sheets in more ways than one.

Books: Making Democracy Count should be at the top of the summer reading list, by Deb Otis

• In a new book, academic Ismar Volić examines the mathematics that govern how our election systems work or, more often, don’t work. Although the author is a math professor, the book reads nothing like a math textbook. It stays approachable, even while diving deep into its subject.

Find the full review here: www.nationalcivicleague.org/national-civic-review/issue/summer-2024