The Future of Democracy: Developing the Next Generation of American Citizens

by Peter Levine

We need young people to be civically engaged in order to define and address public problems. Their participation is important for democracy, for institutions such as schools, and for young people themselves, who are more likely to succeed in life if they are engaged in their communities. In The Future of Democracy, Peter Levine, scholar and practitioner, sounds the in recent years, young Americans have become dangerously less engaged. They are tolerant, patriotic, and idealistic, and some have invented such novel and impressive forms of civic engagement, as blogs, "buycott" movements, and transnational youth networks. But most lack the skills and opportunities they need to participate in politics or address public problems. Levine's timely manifesto clearly explains the causes, symptoms, and repercussions of this damaging trend, and, most importantly, the means whereby America can confront and reverse it.

Levine demonstrates how to change young people's civic attitudes, skills, and knowledge and, equally importantly, to reform our institutions so that civic engagement is rewarding and effective. We must both prepare citizens for politics and improve politics for citizens.

Genres: Nonfiction

283 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Peter Levine is an author, associate dean at Tufts University, and professor of philosophy.

Reviews

[Regan]

Man with spiky gray hair and a gray beard who’s definitely giving high school history teacher/baseball coach, wearing a Brewers shirt. Phone case sticker says “Facts are democracy’s seatbelt.” At Charles du Gaulle about to board for MSP

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another governmental bureaucrat trying to give his god, the government, better Borg: more obedient, less autonomous, and than Democracy will mean the will of one: the Big Brother.