Being able to debate, reflect, form opinions, consider counter evidence and make informed decisions is a foundation of civic life in democratic societies. Government benefits from broad participation in collective decision making in terms of sustainable outcomes (e.g., greater consensus) and quality of life in our cities and communities. These collective decision making capabilities are undermi...

With the ubiquity of Internet technologies and growing demands for transparency and open data policies, the role of social networking and online deliberation tools for public engagement in decision-making has increased substantially in the last decades. Across the globe, officials and non-governmental organizations respectively or jointly have introduced online platforms in order to involve the...

BACKGROUND Social capital is considered to be an important determinant of life expectancy and cardiovascular health. Evidence on the association between social capital and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer was systematically reviewed. METHODS Prospective studies examining the association of social capital with these outcomes were systematically sought in Medline, Em...

This essay reviews a number of theoretical perspectives about uncertainty and participation in the present-day knowledge-based society. After discussing the on-going reconfigurations of science, technology and society, we examine how appropriate for policy studies are various theories of social complexity. Post-normal science is such an example of a complexity-motivated approach, which justifie...

Although some point to the large effects of schooling on civic engagement (usually measured in terms of volunteering and participation in civic organizations) and social cohesion (usually measured in terms of social networks and relationship quality), the effects of schooling on social outcomes have not been estimated with the same rigor as the effects of schooling on labor-market outcomes, suc...

Background and Purpose: The problematic reduction of civic engagement in local communities of Khuzestan province in the southwest of Iran has became a serious issue for research in social planning and policy making. Efforts have been made to study the risk factors as the deterrents to engaging in the society. Methods: this study aims to investigate the factors influencing civic engagement amon...

J ustin is not alone. In a recent study of high school seniors from California, for example, only 28% agreed that “I think people in government care about what people like me and my family need” ~Kahne and Middaugh 2005!. Related findings are common. A survey by the National Association of Secretaries of State, for example, revealed that twothirds of all young people agreed that “our generation...

The promotion of civic engagement is one of the fundamental goals of public schooling. In this study, I examine the comparative effects of Catholic and public schools on adult voter participation and volunteering. I find that students who attended Catholic high schools are substantially more likely to vote, though not volunteer, as adults. I also find that these effects are robust to conditioni...

Despite high hopes and large investments, existing efforts at designing and implementing Internet Web pages and systems for civic engagement have met only marginal success, suggesting a need for careful thought and application of research on how to get people to interact using technology. This paper develops and presents a theory for designing effective online civic engagement systems. The theo...