In September of 2015, the Pew Research Center published a report on public trust in government institutions. “A year ahead of the presidential election, the American public is deeply cynical about government, politics, and the nation’s elected leaders in a way that has become quite familiar,” the report begins.
Most would agree that American democracy needs a shot in the arm. Around 60 percent of eligible citizens usually vote for president, fewer than 25 percent vote in most Mayoral elections, and public trust in government is at an historic low.
The National Civic League is challenging communities to hold “All-America Conversations” as a way of exploring local divides and tensions and identifying specic actions to bridge those divides. Become a member to read full articles like this one in the National Civic Review.
Congested highways, overflowing sewers, and corroding bridges, are constant reminders of the looming infrastructure crisis that jeopardizes our nation’s economic prosperity as well as the quality for our life of our citizens. Become a member to read full articles like this one in the National Civic Review.
Faced with faced the prospect of a glut of infrastructure repair and replacement bills coming due at once, an Arizona community developed a new planning and forecasting process to reveal the resource gaps the town would need to address. Become a member to read full articles like this one in the National Civic Review.
A Colorado city is attempting to come to grips with an assortment of nancial planning issues related to marijuana legalization that were without precedent in the United States and, in fact, the rest of the world. Become a member to read full articles like this one in the National Civic Review.
As a community, Pittsburgh has identified the systemic barriers are preventing students from attending school regularly and engaged a range of stakeholders and partners in strategies to remove them. Become a member to read full articles like this one in the National Civic Review.
The role of citizen participation is widely understood to be crucial for effective democratic governance. Youth are citizens too but their participation in government, while often thought to be a good idea, is not widely practiced and understood. Several arguments have been advanced to underscore the importance of youth involvement.
Instead of fighting discrete battles, Communities for a Better Environment, a California environmental justice organization, declared war against the pollution that plagues neighborhoods where people of color and poor people live. As part of that war declaration, the group became a part of a coalition to fight environmental racism. The strategy focused on executing a ground game—block by block, finding truth and building alliances.
