The Rebirth of Urban Democracy

Fülszöveg

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In an era when government seems remote and difficult to approach, participatory democracy may seem a hopelessly romantic notion. Yet nothing is more crucial to the future of American democracy than to develop somé way of spurring greater citizen participation. In this important book, Jeffrey Berry, Kent Portney, and Ken Thomson examine cities that have created systems of neighborhood government and incorporated citizens in pub-lic policymaking. Through carefiil research and analysis, the authors find that neighbor-hood-based participation is the key to revital-izing American democracy.
The Rebirth of Úrban Democracy provides a thorough examination of five cities with strong citizen participation programs— Birmingham, Dayton, Portland, St. Paul, and San Antonio. In each city, the authors explore whether neighborhood associations encourage more people to participate; whether these associations are able to promote policy... Tovább

Fülszöveg

ll
^pRebirth
öfLIrban
Democracy
¦ i




In an era when government seems remote and difficult to approach, participatory democracy may seem a hopelessly romantic notion. Yet nothing is more crucial to the future of American democracy than to develop somé way of spurring greater citizen participation. In this important book, Jeffrey Berry, Kent Portney, and Ken Thomson examine cities that have created systems of neighborhood government and incorporated citizens in pub-lic policymaking. Through carefiil research and analysis, the authors find that neighbor-hood-based participation is the key to revital-izing American democracy.
The Rebirth of Úrban Democracy provides a thorough examination of five cities with strong citizen participation programs— Birmingham, Dayton, Portland, St. Paul, and San Antonio. In each city, the authors explore whether neighborhood associations encourage more people to participate; whether these associations are able to promote policy responsiveness on the part of local govern-ments; and whether participation in these associations increases the capacity of people to take part in government. Finally, the authors outline the steps that can be taken to increase political participation in úrban America.
Berry, Portney, and Thomson show that citizens in participatory programs are able to get their issues on the public agenda and develop a stronger sense of community, greater trust in government officials, and more confidence in
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the political system. From a rigorous evalua-tion of surveys and interviews with thousands of citizens and policymakers, the authors alsó find that central governments in these cities are highly responsive to their neighborhoods and that less conflict exists among citizens and policymakers.
The authors assert that these programs can provide a blueprint fór major reform in cities across the country. They outline the compo-nents for successful participation programs and offer recommendations for those who want to get involved. They demonstrate that participation systems can influence citizens to become more knowledgeable, more produc-tive, and more confident in government and can provide governments with a mechanism for being more responsive in setting priorities and formulating policies that closely approxi-mate the true preferences of the people. Vissza