1st Edition

Reviving Citizen Engagement Policies to Renew National Community

By Larry N. Gerston Copyright 2015
    290 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Whereas our nation was once united in purpose, today it is bitterly divided. Why? Racial discrimination, diminishing educational opportunities, poor economic mobility, greedy corporations, and an unresponsive federal government have combined to create two Americas. Presented in Gerston’s characteristic, no-holds-barred style of wit and candor, Reviving Citizen Engagement: Policies to Renew National Community casts a harsh light on the current state of American public policy. It then offers approaches to healing some of the country’s most pressing problems.

    The book begins with an assessment of the extent to which America has become a fractured society and the residual damage from the social implosion. It then examines the fragile condition of the 21st century electorate and a political system where private power too often has overcome values intended to protect the public good. The author argues it isn’t American entitlement run amok, but suggests there really is a powerful disconnect. The large number of Americans who have been left out of the system are no longer engaged citizens.

    This development represents a monumental threat to American democracy, for our democracy can succeed only if its people believe they have the opportunity to succeed. This book not only provides evidence of our frayed society but also includes recommendations for strengthening America’s social fabric. It details the steps we can—and must—take to repair, rebuild, and renew American society. Gerston contends they are within our reach if we are willing to make the sacrifices long overdue in what historically has been recognized as the world’s most powerful and successful nation.

    A Turning Point for America
    America Adrift
    Weakened Citizenship: The Catalyst for Disaffection
    Characteristics of the Hollowed Out Society
    Plan of the Book

    DETACHED SPIRIT
    Cracks in the Pavement
    The Stagnant Society
    Divisions Over Basic Values
    The Fractured Society—The Greater Good No More
    I’ve Got Mine…Go Get Yours
    Summing Up

    An Uneven Electorate
    Blurred Windows of Opportunity
    Competing Power Wielders
    Election Impediments
    Conclusion: Coping With a Disjointed Participatory Network

    The Opportunity Conundrum
    The Growing Chasm Between the "Haves" and "Have Nots"
    The Challenge of Equal Opportunity
    Equality: Substance versus Symbolism

    BROKEN INSTITUTIONS
    The Search For Public Investment
    A Poorly Educated Nation
    Decaying Infrastructure
    Research and Development
    Leaving the Future Behind

    Policy Making Institutions At A Crossroads
    Congress: A Branch in Disrepair
    Changing Boundaries of the Executive Branch
    Subtleties in the Judiciary
    Institutions on Shaky Ground

    A TALE OF TWO ECONOMIES IN ONE NATION
    An Economic System That Divides Its Members
    The Growing Chasm Between Those at the Bottom and Those at the Top
    Changes in the Workplace
    Safety Net programs in the 21st Century: On the Money or Out of Touch?
    A Gap That Must Be Bridged

    The Struggle For Corporate Inclusion
    Loyalty to Stockholders First, Nation Last
    Lower Salaries, Diminished Benefits
    The Great Tax Escape
    On the Outside Looking In

    REPAIR AND RENEWAL
    Toward The Resumption of Citizenship
    Bolstered Public Education
    Restored Citizenship Rights and New Obligations
    Substantive tax Reform
    Policies Repositioned More for the Whole Than the Parts

    Biography

    Larry Gerston is Professor Emeritus of political science at San Jose State University. A specialist in public policy, he has written eleven other books in addition to Reviving Citizen Engagement: Policies to Renew National Community. His policy books include Making Public Policy: From Conflict to Resolution (1983), Public Policy Making: Process and Principles (1997), Public Policy Making in a Democratic Society: A Guide to Civic Engagement (2002), and Confronting Reality: Ten Issues Threatening to Implode American Society (2009). Gerston’s Not So Golden After All: The Rise and Fall of California was published by Taylor & Francis in 2012.

    Along with his larger works, Gerston has written numerous journal articles and penned more than 125 op-ed pieces in leading newspapers. He appears weekly as the political analyst at NBC Bay Area (the NBC-owned television station in the San Francisco Bay Area), and has also been interviewed for his political insight on NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, BBC, NPR, and CNN’s Inside Politics.

    "This broad-ranging critique of the American political and economic system attempts to help readers understand contemporary citizen disengagement. Replete with extensive public opinion and empirical data, this book by Gerston (emer., San Jose State Univ.) chronicles significant shortcomings of the political system such as income inequalities, voter suppression, and disregard for international law. … the book ends with a wide-ranging set of corrective actions that might be taken. …. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections."
    —S. E. Frantzich, United States Naval Academy