Democracy at Risk: How Political Choices Undermine Citizen Participation

In Democracy at Risk: How Political Choices Undermine Citizen Participation, and What We Can Do About It, a new book published by the Brookings Institution Press and sponsored by the American Political Science Association (APSA), a team of leading political scientists headed by Stephen Macedo not only reveals the dangers of civic disengagement, but also diagnoses the causes and suggests possible cures. To launch this book, a panel of the authors will explore the problems of Americans’ decreasing involvement in public affairs and show how scholarship, such as the work of APSA’s Committee on Civic Education and Engagement, can inform efforts to revive our ailing democratic life.

The discussion will focus on three key areas: the electoral process, including political campaigns and subsequent elections; the American metropolis, as well as demographic changes and evolving development patterns; and the critical role of nonprofit organizations, voluntary associations, and the philanthropy that helps keep them going. The panel will also offer practical recommendations to reinvigorate civic participation in the world’s most powerful democracy.

There will be a question and answer session following remarks.