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Like other “wicked problems,” public engagement can be best understood by identifying the underlying values from multiple perspectives, recognizing the natural tensions between those values, and then focusing on how to best negotiate those tensions through an ongoing collaborative process.
The All-America City Awards do not honor perfection because there is no perfect community, but when residents come together to put their various perspectives, skills and resources to use, even the most intractable of problems seem less daunting.
A new term in the lexicon of American democracy, “civic muscle” functions in at least two different modes—by mobilizing people and resources to effect social change and by fostering community resilience and stability.
Its cases studies, reports, interviews and essays help communities learn about the latest developments in collaborative problems-solving, civic engagement, local government innovation and democratic governance. Some of the country’s leading doers and thinkers have contributed articles to this invaluable resource for elected officials, public managers, nonprofit leaders, grassroots activists, and public administration scholars seeking to make America’s communities more inclusive, participatory, innovative and successful.