In this book, two leading experts on community action provide the first scholarly examination of the civic renewal movement that has emerged in the United States in recent decades. Sirianni Friedland examine civic innovation since the 1960s as social learning in four arenas (community organizing/development, civic environmentalism, community health, and public journalism), and they link local efforts to broader networks and to the development of "public policy for democracy." They also explore the emergence of a movement for civic renewal that builds upon the civic movements in these four arenas. In contrast to some recent studies that stress broad indicators of civic decline, this study analyzes innovation as a long process of social learning within specific institutional and policy domains with complex challenges and cross-currents. It draws upon analytical frameworks of social capital, policy learning, organizational learning, regulatory culture, democratic theory, and social movement theory. The study is based upon interviews with more than 400 innovative practitioners, as well as extensive field observation, case study, action research, and historical analysis.

Civic Innovation in America: Community Empowerment, Public Policy, and the Movement for Civic Renewal

Politics & Social Sciences

Sirianni, Carmen

Friedland, Lewis

Sociology

University of California Press

In this book, two leading experts on community action provide the first scholarly examination of the civic renewal movement that has emerged in the United States in recent decades. Sirianni Friedland examine civic innovation since the 1960s as social learning in four arenas (community organizing/development, civic environmentalism, community health, and public journalism), and they link local efforts to broader networks and to the development of "public policy for democracy." They also explore the emergence of a movement for civic renewal that builds upon the civic movements in these four arenas. In contrast to some recent studies that stress broad indicators of civic decline, this study analyzes innovation as a long process of social learning within specific institutional and policy domains with complex challenges and cross-currents. It draws upon analytical frameworks of social capital, policy learning, organizational learning, regulatory culture, democratic theory, and social movement theory. The study is based upon interviews with more than 400 innovative practitioners, as well as extensive field observation, case study, action research, and historical analysis.

Sustainable Cities in American Democracy: From Postwar Urbanism to a Civic Green New Deal (Environment and Society)

We face two global threats: the climate crisis and a crisis of democracy. Located at the crux of these crises, sustainable cities build on the foundations and resources of democracy to make our increasingly urban world more resilient and just. Sustainable Cities in American Democracy focuses on this effort as it emerged and developed over the past decades in the institutional field of sustainable cities--a vital response to environmental degradation and climate change that is shaped by civic and democratic action. Carmen Sirianni shows how various kinds of civic associations and grassroots mobilizing figure in this story, especially as they began to explicitly link conservation to the future of our democracy and then develop sustainable cities as a democratic project. These organizations are national, local, or multitiered, from the League of Women Voters to the Natural Resources Defense Council to bicycle and watershed associations. Some challenge city government agencies contentiously, while others seek collaboration; many do both at some point. Sirianni uses a range of analytic approaches--from scholarly disciplines, policy design, urban governance, social movements, democratic theory, public administration, and planning--to understand how such diverse civic and professional associations have come to be both an ecology of organizations and a systemic and coherent project. The institutional field of sustainable cities has emerged with some core democratic norms and civic practices but also with many tensions and trade-offs that must be crafted and revised strategically in the face of new opportunities and persistent shortfalls. Sirianni's account draws ambitious yet pragmatic and hopeful lessons for a "Civic Green New Deal"a policy design for building sustainable and resilient cities on much more robust foundations in the decades ahead while also addressing democratic deficits in our polarized political culture.

Business & Money

Economics

University Press of Kansas

The health of American democracy ultimately depends on our willingness and ability to work together as citizens and stakeholders in our republic. Government policies often fail to promote such collaboration. But if designed properly, they can do much to strengthen civic engagement. That is the central message of Carmen Sirianni's eloquent new book.
 Rather than encourage citizens to engage in civic activity, government often puts obstacles in their way. Many agencies treat citizens as passive clients rather than as community members, overlooking their ability to mobilize assets and networks to solve problems. Many citizen initiatives run up against rigid rules and bureaucratic silos, causing all but the most dedicated activists to lose heart. The unfortunate—and unnecessary—result is a palpable decline in the quality of civic life.
 Fortunately, growing numbers of policymakers across the country are figuring out how government can serve as a partner and catalyst for collaborative problem solving. Investing in Democracy details three such success stories: neighborhood planning in Seattle; youth civic engagement programs in Hampton, Virginia; and efforts to develop civic environmentalism at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book explains what measures were taken and why they succeeded. It distills eight core design principles that characterize effective collaborative governance and concludes with concrete recommendations for federal policy.

Investing in Democracy: Engaging Citizens in Collaborative Governance

Politics & Government

Brookings Institution Press

The health of American democracy ultimately depends on our willingness and ability to work together as citizens and stakeholders in our republic. Government policies often fail to promote such collaboration. But if designed properly, they can do much to strengthen civic engagement. That is the central message of Carmen Sirianni's eloquent new book.
Rather than encourage citizens to engage in civic activity, government often puts obstacles in their way. Many agencies treat citizens as passive clients rather than as community members, overlooking their ability to mobilize assets and networks to solve problems. Many citizen initiatives run up against rigid rules and bureaucratic silos, causing all but the most dedicated activists to lose heart. The unfortunate —and unnecessary —result is a palpable decline in the quality of civic life.
Fortunately, growing numbers of policymakers across the country are figuring out how government can serve as a partner and catalyst for collaborative problem solving. Investing in Democracy details three such success stories: neighborhood planning in Seattle; youth civic engagement programs in Hampton, Virginia; and efforts to develop civic environmentalism at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book explains what measures were taken and why they succeeded. It distills eight core design principles that characterize effective collaborative governance and concludes with concrete recommendations for federal policy.

Workers control and socialist democracy: The Soviet experience

Management & Leadership

Verso

This book explores innovation in various forms of civic engagement, while documenting the renewal of the civic movement and analyzing the power of citizens in their communities. From civic environmentalism to public journalism, Sirianni and Friedland offer unique insights into the future methods and directions of American self-rule while providing a resource-rich guide for future research in the field. Carmen Sirianni is professor of sociology and public policy at Brandeis University. Lewis A. Friedland is professor of journalism and mass communication and sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The Civic Renewal Movement: Community Building and Democracy in the United States

Education & Teaching

Friedland, Lewis A.

Schools & Teaching

Kettering Foundation Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sirianni, Carmen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Sirianni, Carmen

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sirianni, Carmen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Civic Innovation in America: Community Empowerment, Public Policy, and the Movement for Civic Renewal

Civic Innovation in America: Community Empowerment, Public Policy, and the Movement for Civic Renewal

Sustainable Cities in American Democracy: From Postwar Urbanism to a Civic Green New Deal (Environment and Society)

Sustainable Cities in American Democracy: From Postwar Urbanism to a Civic Green New Deal (Environment and Society)

Investing in Democracy: Engaging Citizens in Collaborative Governance

Investing in Democracy: Engaging Citizens in Collaborative Governance

Workers control and socialist democracy: The Soviet experience

Workers control and socialist democracy: The Soviet experience

The Civic Renewal Movement: Community Building and Democracy in the United States