Democracy at Risk: How Political Choices Undermine Citizen Participation, and What We Can Do About It
"An Outstanding Academic Title" —CHOICE, 1/1/2006"An important resource for teaching and for guiding further research on citizen participation. It is clearly written and accessible to people outside as well as within the academy. An impressive collaboration of which political scientists can be proud, this book should be of interest to all who care about the state of citizenship and what may be done to improve it." —Theda Skocpol,Harvard University"This is a 'must read' book for those interested in democracy and American politics. It makes the reader ponder what democracy is about, how we are doing, and what the prospects are for the future....This book is an important contribution to the contemporary debate on American democracy." —Russell Dalton, University of California, Irvine,Democracy & Society"These scholars have made a valuable contribution to our understanding and potentially have instigated an ongoing and deliberative discussion on this important topic. Political scientists and the general public will find the report interesting and informative. Democracy at Risk would be a useful secondary textbook for classes in American politics." —James L. Danielson, Minnesota State University Moorhead,Perspectives on Political Science, 9/1/2006"this book presents an excellent sketch not only of contemporary American political life, but of the debates about engagement, civic vitality and individual freedom which cut across a range of disciplines, and as such it is an important read for anyone interested in strengthening democracy and increasing citizen engagement." —Political Studies Review, 1/1/2007"loaded with advice for improving civic participation" —Karl Kurtz,State Legislatures, 2/1/2007"DEMOCRACY AT RISK will undoubtedly be an important milestone in the intellectual development of research and thinking about civic engagement. It is coherent, well written, and interesting, and would be ideal for course adoptions." —Henry Brady, University of California--Berkeley"This important and exciting manifesto... is brilliantly analytical but also eloquent and practical in proposing reforms to improve our practice of politics. At a time when our country is busily selling the democratic idea to the rest of the world, we need to tend our own civic life. Here's hoping that DEMOCRACY AT RISK inspires the national and grassroots debate we badly need." —E.J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist and author of WHY AMERICANS HATE POLITICS