Democracy and Public Problems
Democracy and Public Problems
This chapter discusses distinct perspectives for approaching the democratic process at the community level, including contest, deliberation, and problemsolving, and provides an analysis of the social and political changes that have played a significant role in changing institutions and expectations in democratic societies throughout the world in recent decades. It emphasizes that agreement-seeking civic action is required for building and using civic capacity, and that acts of leadership are needed at the community level as ideological differences and partisan perceptions among people and institutions block the learning process. The chapter focuses on the idea that by making public agencies more accountable and result-oriented, public decision-making can be made more transparent and accountable. Legitimacy and productive capacity, two essential elements of effective public action, can help make mission-driven public organizations and other institutions of modern democracies more effective.
Keywords: democratic process, civic capacity, public decision-making, legitimacy
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