Civic engagement theory

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Civic engagement theory

• individuals participation in non-political
  social organizations is a positive experience
  that increases many things, including an
  individuals probability of political
  participation
• overcome perceptions of costs-benefit
  deficiencies that might otherwise keep them from
  participating

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• How does interacting with other individuals
  within non-political civic associations greater
  individual probability of political
  participation?? two proposed causal mechanisms
• 1) Mobilization
• filtering of info
• provide some important validation and
  non-political benefits to the act of
  participation
• Solidary and purposive benefits
• Types
• Direct vs. indirect
• Targeted and timed
• Doesnt necessarily require personal, physical
  interaction between citizens

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• 2) Social capital theory those features and
  by-products of active engagement within social
  organization, such as networks, norms and social
  trust, that facilitate coordination and
  cooperation of individual citizens for mutual
  benefit.
• Face to face participation in non-political
  social organizations is a positive for democratic
  government to the extent that these groups create
  networks, norms, and social trust that increase
  individuals probability of political activity

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2 non mutually exclusive Causal Mechanisms of SC

• Civic skill participatory or democratic type
  activities which parallel forms of political
  participation and which are supposed to increase
  the likelihood of members participating in the
  political process.
• nuts and bolts of democratic participation
• examples include giving a speech/presentation in
  connection the group or attending a decision
  making meeting

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• How do Civ Skills work?
• skills (letter writing, speeches, etc.) thought
  directly transferable to many forms of political
  participation
• democratic training (civic virtue?)
• Costs?
• practice of such skills demonstrate to their
  practioners the effectiveness and importance of
  participation in general, altering perceptions of
  relative benefits of democratic behavior
• If democratic participation works on one level,
  than they may be more inclined to see it as
  useful at the electoral level
• indirect benefit ?

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2nd SC causal mechanism

• Democratic attitudes as citizens actively work
  with one another, are forced to compromise, take
  in and debate (be exposed to) the views of
  others, etc., they will begin to appreciate the
  value and moral responsibility of citizenship and
  participation
• sacrifice of immediate short term self-interest,
  the incursion of personal costs for a good
  greater than their own, has some actual value or
  payoff.

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• appreciate value of a federal democratic republic
• Civic virtue?
• Collective action with other citizens is possible
  and needs to be practiced to maintain civic
  virtue

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Assumptions

• decision of a citizen to join a civic association
  or not is similar to the decision to politically
  participate
• People may be more willing to join less overtly
  than more overtly political groups
• Civic associations tend to have lower thresholds
  and barriers for participation than parties or
  political interest groups.
• strong civil society creates a stronger quality
  democratic republic
• Assumption that more participation better

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Implications of Casual Mechs

• Active participation?
• Informed participation?
• Expansive participation?
• Type of social organization that works best?
• Hierarchical?
• Diverse?
• Exclusive?
• Focus?