Foundations of Civic Engagement is a comprehensive survey and reassessment of the entire field of social and political philosophy. Suitable for use as a primary text for courses on political thought, this book explores the basic arguments of the most important historical and contemporary figures--including Ancient Greek, modern and contemporary theories of communitarianism, social contract, feminism, postmodernsim, Marxism, and theories of communicative actions--and offers a thematic critique and integration of these philosophies.

Creating transparency between government and citizens through outreach and engagement initiatives is critical to promoting community development and is also an essential part of a democratic society. This can be achieved through a number of methods including public policy, urban development, artistic endeavors, and digital platforms. Civic Engagement and Politics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source that examines civic engagement practices in social, political, and non-political contexts. As the world is now undergoing a transformation, interdisciplinary collaboration, participation, community-based participatory research, partnerships, and co-creation have become more common than focused domains. Highlighting a range of topics such as social media and politics, civic activism, and public administration, this multi-volume book is geared toward government officials, leaders, practitioners, policymakers, academicians, and researchers interested in active citizen participation and politics.

Service-Learning and Civic Engagement: A Sourcebook focuses on historical, philosophical, social foundations, practices and models of service-learning and civic engagement. The title offers practical, jargon-free chapters applicable to any educational institution as well as community organizations that might consult the work. Key Features Practical, jargon-free chapters applicable to any educational institution as well as community organizations that might consult the work 58 signed chapters are organized into thematic parts, such as Concepts & Theoretical Approaches, Historical & Social Foundations, The Role of Service-Learning in Higher Education, The Role of the Community, Lessons Learned & Future Directions, etc. Thematic parts provide a practical sampling of syllabi, lesson plans, activities and resources, and online websites and databases supporting service-learning. Glossary (key terms commonly used in discussions and research on service-learning and civic engagement) Bibliography of sources consulted in production of the volume This Sourcebook is a scholarly source ideal for any educational institution and academic library as well as public libraries and community organizations that might consult the work on historical, philosophical social foundations, practices and models of service-learning and civic engagement.

“Decentralized Globalization” cites analysis and data proving the effectiveness of all Free Trade Agreements, especially within NAFTA. It has done a world of good. California is perfectly intertwined with the Mexican economy; the balance struck being a perfect model for the rest of the World. The race for Free Trade agreements and elimination of tariff has started long time ago with the creation of the EU, and it works. Civic society keeps the government honest and clamors to take into account the non-governmental interest groups. E.g. to reform Constitutions. Too many countries will need to change from their judicial systems, from “guilty until proven innocent to “innocent until proven guilty”, which should be the norm in the twenty-first Century.

Outreach and engagement initiatives are crucial in promoting community development. This can be achieved through a number of methods, including avenues in the fine arts. The Handbook of Research on the Facilitation of Civic Engagement through Community Art is a comprehensive reference source for emerging perspectives on the incorporation of artistic works to facilitate improved civic engagement and social justice. Featuring innovative coverage across relevant topics, such as art education, service learning, and student engagement, this handbook is ideally designed for practitioners, artists, professionals, academics, and students interested in active citizen participation via artistic channels.

Drawing on a Gramscian theoretical perspective and developing a systematic comparative approach, The Civic Foundations of Fascism in Europe challenges the received Tocquevillian consensus on authoritarianism by arguing that fascist regimes, just like mass democracies, depended on well-organised, rather than weak and atomised, civil societies. In making this argument the book focuses on three crucial cases of interwar authoritarianism: Italy, Spain and Romania, selected because they are all counterintuitive from the perspective of established explanations, while usefully demonstrating the range of fascist outcomes in interwar Europe. Civic Foundations argues that, in all three cases, fascism emerged because of the rapid development of voluntary associations, combined with weakly developed political parties among the dominant class, thus creating a crisis of hegemony. Riley then traces the specific form that this crisis took depending on the form of civil society developed (autonomous, as in Italy; elite-dominated, as in Spain; or state-dominated, as in Romania) in the nineteenth century.

This book explores the roles and visions foundations have of, and for, themselves in the new Europe. The leading contributors go beyond a quantitative profile of foundations in Europe, and probe deeper into their role and contributions in meeting the economic, cultural, environmental and educational needs of European societies. Includes a mapping and appraisal of foundation visions, policies and strategies, and an overall assessment of the current and future policy environment in which they operate. The Politics of Foundations combines the detailed comparative analysis of current challenges facing foundations, with individual country studies on Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and also includes a comparative view from the United States. This valuable reference will be of interest to researchers and students of foundations, policy-making, comparative politics and international business, as well as policy makers and professionals.

Once largely confined to the biggest cities in the mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes states, philanthropic foundations now play a significant role in nearly every state. Wide-ranging and incisive, the essays in American Philanthropic Foundations: Regional Difference and Change examine the origins, development, and accomplishments of philanthropic foundations in key cities and regions of the United States. Each contributor assesses foundation efforts to address social and economic inequalities, and to encourage cultural and creative life in their home regions and elsewhere. This fascinating and timely study of contemporary America's philanthropic foundations vividly illustrates foundations' commonalities and differences as they strive to address pressing public problems.

Designed to serve as a basic text for an introductory course in Public Administration, this innovative work provides students with an understanding of the basic management functions that are covered in all standard textbooks with two important differences. First, it is written to address the needs of both the experienced practitioner and the entry-level public servant. Case examples bridge the content-rich environment of practitioners with the basic principles of public administration sought by pre-service students. Second, the discussion of basic management practices is grounded in the political and ethical tensions inherent in the American constitutional form of governance. This reflects the authors' belief that public administration operates as an integral part of the country's political traditions, and thereby helps define the political culture. The book provides a framework for understanding American political traditions and how they inform public administration as a political practice. Key Changes in the Second Edition include: A new introductory chapter that explains what the authors mean by a constitutional approach and why that is important. An expanded discussion of the role of civil society in promoting the common good. A new section in chapter 5 on New Public Governance. Updated exhibits that incorporate up-to-date census data and revenue figures (chapter 10). A new section in chapter 14 that recognises the importance of maintaining accountability in contract and networked systems of governance. Significantly rewritten chapters to add emphasis on the relevance of the chapter material to nonprofit organisations. A significantly revised bibliography which incorporates new bodies of research that have appeared since the first edition.

Leadership in Non-Profit Organizations tackles issues and leadership topics for those seeking to understand more about this dynamic sector of society. A major focus of this two-volume reference work is on the specific roles and skills required of the non-profit leader in voluntary organizations. Key features include: contributions from a wide range of authors who reflect the variety, vibrancy and creativity of the sector itself an overview of the history of non-profit organizations in the United States description of a robust and diverse assortment of organizations and opportunities for leadership an exploration of the nature of leadership and its complexity as exemplified in the non-profit sector availability both in print and online - this title will form part of the 2010 Encyclopedia Collection on SAGE Reference Online. The Handbook includes topics such as: personalities of non-profit leaders vision and starting a nonprofit organization nonprofit law, statutes, taxation and regulations strategic management financial management collaboration public relations for promoting a non-profit organization human resource policies and procedures.