In order to create or evaluate civic media, you must be able to say what’s “civic”—which implies a theory of good citizenship and an argument for why we need good citizens in the first place. Peter Levine’s new book draws on extensive practical experience, empirical evidence about the causes and consequences of civic engagement, and a distinctive philosophical position to defend a conception of citizenship as deliberation plus collaboration plus civic relationships. He offers strategies for reversing the decline in those forms of engagement and argues that civic renewal will address our most serious national problems.
Peter Levine is the Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs in Tufts University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service and Director of CIRCLE, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. His latest book is We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: The Promise of Civic Renewal in America (Oxford University Press, Fall 2013).
Written by
Andrew Whitacre