Product Description

There is an influential crowd of political analysts painting grim portraits of an American public that is growing less civil, more disengaged, and alienated. And the analysts get only more pessimistic when asked about the apathetic younger generation of Americans who do not see the value in voting and disavow politics. The good news is that the bad news is wrong. Russell Dalton uses a new set of national public opinion surveys to show how Americans are changing their views on what good citizenship means. It s not about recreating the halcyon politics of a past generation, but recognizing that new forms of political engagement call for new processes and evolving institutions that reflect the changing values of contemporary, younger Americans. Trends in participation, tolerance, and policy priorities reflect a generation that is more engaged and more supportive of social justice - not the cynical youth so easy to criticise. The Good Citizen shows how a shift in norms is actually leading to a renaissance of democratic participation with an important comparative chapter that shows similar trends in other advanced democracies. This book will reshape how we think about the American public, American youth, and the vitality of American democracy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #227746 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages