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The ABCs of Human Survival examines the effect of militant nationalism and the lawlessness of powerful states on the well-being of individuals and local communities―and the essential role of global citizenship within that dynamic. Based on the analysis of world events, Dr. Arthur Clark presents militant nationalism as a pathological pattern of thinking that threatens our security, while emphasizing effective democracy and international law as indispensable frameworks for human protection. Within the contexts of history, sociology, philosophy, and spirituality, The ABCs of Human Survival calls into question the assumptions of consumer culture and offers, as an alternative, strategies to improve overall well-being through the important choices we make as individuals.

This edition of the GGLN’s The State of Local Governance publication focuses

on active citizenship. The NDP’s elevation of civic activism and agency in development processes echoes what member organisations of the GGLN have been advocating for many years: that people can and need to be in control of their own development, not in isolation of the state or other civic actors, but in direct conversation and, at times, contestation with these other actors. This requires the design of well-constructed, yet organic, processes that are able to mediate power, difference and diversity in a manner that brings forth transformative outcomes.

South Africa still has a long way to go before such robust systems and processes are in place, although emerging initiatives originating from both civil society and government, particularly around social accountability, community based monitoring and collaborative planning, give room for cautious optimism. With government in general and in local government in particular suffering from ‘bad image syndrome’, more radical shifts in thinking and practice are needed to ensure that trust in local government is restored. 

This book draws on the work of thinkers and doers throughout the world who have grappled with the challenge of planning complex institutions, especially health systems and development projects. Their problem: Conventional planning methods often do not work. The solution: Involve all the key stakeholders in making the plan. The challenge: Devise a planning system that the principals and stakeholders can trust, and that is inclusive, balanced, and dynamic.

Facilitated participatory planning (or FPP) is a new way of planning for a world that is complex, competitive, and fast-changing; a world where managers, staff and other stakeholders must have their say and own the ideas for any plan to work. This book charts the evolution of FPP from pioneer concepts of awareness, empowerment, learning-by-doing, visualization, creative group processes, and incremental questions into a complete and up-to-date system of principles and techniques. It carries case studies that show how FPP has been used successfully where other planning methods have failed. 

Citizens’ Assemblies (CAs) are flourishing around the world. Quite often composed of randomly selected citizens, CAs, arguably, come as a possible answer to contemporary democratic challenges. Democracies worldwide are indeed confronted with a series of disruptive phenomena such as a widespread perception of distrust and growing polarization as well as low performance. Many actors seek to reinvigorate democracy with citizen participation and deliberation. CAs are expected to have the potential to meet this twofold objective. But, despite deliberative and inclusive qualities of CAs, many questions remain open. The increasing popularity of CAs call for a holistic reflection and evaluation on their origins, current uses and future directions.

The De Gruyter Handbook of Citizens’ Assemblies showcases the state of the art around the study of CAs and opens novel perspectives informed by multidisciplinary research and renewed thinking about deliberative participatory processes. It discusses the latest theoretical, empirical, and methodological scientific developments on CAs and offers a unique resource for scholars, decision-makers, practitioners, and curious citizens to better understand the qualities, purposes, promises but also pitfalls of CAs.

Features:

• First comprehensive analytical overview of this increasingly used democratic innovation.

• Multidisciplinary approach

• Case studies and renewed thinking

• Useful resource for practitioners

Contents page:

• 1 Citizens’ assemblies: An introduction

PART 1: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

• 2 Representation and citizens’ assemblies

• 3 Citizens’ assemblies and accountability

• 4 Which decision-making authority for citizens’ assemblies

• 5 Linking citizens’ assemblies to policymaking: Real-life and visionary connections

• 6 Citizens’ assemblies and the public sphere

• 7 Beyond citizens’ assemblies: Expanding the repertoire of democratic reform

• 8 A problem-based approach to citizens’ assemblies

• 9 Citizens’ assemblies: A critical perspective

PART 2: THE USES OF CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLIES

• 10 Citizens’ assemblies and the crisis of democracy

• 11 Citizens’ assemblies: Top-down or bottom-up? – both, please!

• 12 Mixed-member deliberative forums: Citizens’ assemblies bringing together elected officials and citizens

• 13 Deliberation in citizens’ assemblies with children

• 14 Citizens’ assemblies and direct democracy

• 15 Citizens’ assemblies at supranational level: Addressing the EU and global democratic deficit

• 16 Between hopes and systemic unsustainability: An analysis of citizens assemblies’ potential on climate change

• 17 Authoritarian participationism and local citizens’ assemblies in Latin America: A cross look at three national cases

PART 3: ASSESSMENT

• 18 Evaluating citizens’ assemblies: Criteria, methods and tools

• 19 Internal dynamics at work

• 20 Citizens’ assemblies and their effects on the population

• 21 The impact of citizens’ assemblies on policymaking: Approaches and methods

• 22 Citizens’ assemblies in authoritarian regimes: China, Cuba, and Libya

PART 4: DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS OF CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLIES

• 23 Citizens’ support for citizens’ assemblies

• 24 How do elected officials perceive deliberative citizens’ assemblies?

• 25 The deliberative public servants: The roles of public servants in citizens’ assemblies

• 26 Populists and citizens’ assemblies: Caught between strategy and principles?

• 27 Citizens’ assemblies and communication studies

• 28 Social movements and citizens’ assemblies

PART 5: CONCLUSION

• 29 Citizens’ assemblies: Beyond utopian and dystopian approaches

Index

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This textbook introduces readers to the idea of cooperation and mutualism. Cooperatives and mutuals are participatory organizations in which members participate in control and governance, receive economic benefits through patronage refunds or net income, and become owners through equity. These mutual-benefit organizations exist alongside non-profit organizations and investor-benefit organizations through the global economy. 

Democracy is struggling in America. Citizens increasingly feel cynical about an intractable political system, while hyper-partisanship has dramatically shrank common ground and intensified the extremes. Out of this deepening sense of political despair, philosopher of education Sarah M. Stitzlein seeks to revive democracy by teaching citizens how to hope. Offering an informed call to citizen engagement, Stitzlein directly addresses presidential campaigns, including how to select candidates who support citizens in enacting and sustaining hope. Drawing on examples from American history and pragmatist philosophy, this book explains how hope can be cultivated in schools and sustained through action in our communities -- it describes what hope is, why it matters to democracy, and how to teach it.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1. Hope in America?

Chapter 2. Looking Back to Move Forward

Chapter 3. Hope as Habits

Chapter 4. Hope and Democracy

Chapter 5. Teaching Hope, Not Grit

Chapter 6. Learning How to Hope

Reviews:

"Stitzlein (Univ. of Cincinnati) critiques the state of democracy and discusses a possible solution to reviving civil society. Faced with overwhelming hopelessness in political life, she argues the solution is to teach hope. Grounded in pragmatist philosophy, Stitzlein defines hope by articulating the ideas of John Dewey in relation to inquiry and building habits. From this groundwork she shows that pragmatist hope is the virtue that will help society face its struggles by building a democratic identity. ... Offering an insightful critique of Angela Duckworth's 2016 book Grit, Stitzlein also contends that parents and educators should emphasize hope rather than grit. In the end habits of hope will create new identities and tie communities together. This engaging commentary offers a thoughtful look at a possible collective path toward shaping democracy for a better future." -- R. L. Wadham, CHOICE

"In this timely book, Stitzlein draws on the current political moment to envision hope not as a sentimental antidote to polarization and despair but rather as a foundation for pragmatist civic action. Grounding hope in a set of habitual actions that sustain both citizens and their society, this book illuminates ways to enact civic, pluralistic solidarity which would enable the American political community to transcend challenges to democracy through shared action." -- Sigal Ben-Porath, Professor of Education, Political Science and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania

This book sheds light on a range of complex interdependencies between adult education, young adults in vulnerable situations and active citizenship. Adult education has been increasingly recognized as a means to engage and re-engage young adults and facilitate their life chances and social inclusion thus contributing to an active citizenship within their societal contexts. This collection of chapters dealing with issues of social inclusion of young people represents the first book to explicitly approach the complex interdependencies between adult education, young adults in vulnerable situations and active citizenship from the European perspective.

Social exclusion, disengagement and disaffection of young adults have been among the most significant concerns faced by EU member states over the last decade. It has been increasingly recognised by a range of stakeholders that there is a growing number of young people suffering from the various effects of the unstable social, economic and political situations affecting Europe and its neighbouring countries. Young adults who experience different degrees of vulnerability are especially at risk of being excluded and marginalised. Engaging young adults through adult education has been strongly related to addressing the specific needs and requirements that would facilitate their participation in social, economic and civic/political life in their country contexts. Fostering the active citizenship of young people, both directly and indirectly, is an area where many AE programmes overlap, and this has become a core approach to integration.

This book considers social, economic and political dimensions of active citizenship, encompassing the development of social competences and social capital, civic and political participation and the skills related to the economy and labour market. The cross-national consideration of the notions of vulnerability, inclusion and active citizenship underpins the complexity of translating these concepts into the national contexts of adult education programmes.

What exactly is civic and political participation? What factors influence young people’s participation? How can we encourage youth to participate actively in their own democracies? Youth Civic and Political Engagement takes a multidisciplinary approach to answering these key questions, incorporating research in the fields of psychology, sociology, political science and education to explore the issues affecting youth civic and political engagement. 

Drawing on evidence that has been obtained in many different national contexts, and through multinational studies, this book provides a theoretical synthesis of this large and diverse body of research, using an integrative multi-level ecological model of youth engagement to do so. It identifies unresolved issues in the field and offers numerous suggestions for future research. 

Youth Civic and Political Engagement is an invaluable resource for researchers, teachers, youth workers, civil society activists, policymakers and politicians who wish to acquire an up-to-date understanding of the factors and processes that influence young people’s civic and political engagement, and how to promote youth engagement. 

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