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Steven E Finkel - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the impact of adult Civic Education programmes in developing democracies
Public Administration and Development, 2014Co-Authors: Steven E FinkelAbstract:SUMMARY Are individuals in emerging democracies more likely to embrace democratic values, to learn basic knowledge about political processes, and to engage in politics in response to donor-sponsored Civic Education programmes? After more than a decade of Civic Education evaluations, it is a good time to take stock of what we have learned about the impacts of these efforts to strengthen democratic political culture in developing democracies. This article describes four US Agency for International Development-sponsored evaluations that have been conducted since the late 1990s, summarizes their most important findings, and discusses the lessons learned. I show that Civic Education can have meaningful and relatively long-lasting effects in terms of increasing political information, increasing feelings of empowerment, and mobilizing individuals, even in contexts beset by political and ethnic violence. However, these interventions are much less likely to affect ‘deep-seated’ democratic values such as political tolerance, support, and trust. Moreover, the size of the effects depends critically on how the programmes are designed, the kinds of pedagogical methods employed, and the quality of the trainers. I conclude with a discussion of current developments in the field. © 2014 The Authors. Public Administration and Development published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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the impact of adult Civic Education programmes in developing democracies
Research Papers in Economics, 2013Co-Authors: Steven E FinkelAbstract:Can democracy be taught? Are individuals more likely to embrace democratic values, to learn basic knowledge about political processes, and to engage the political process more effectively as a result of their exposure to donor-sponsored Civic Education programmes in emerging democracies? After more than a decade of evaluations of Civic Education programmes, it is a good time to take stock of what we have learned about the impacts of these efforts to strengthen democratic political culture in developing democracies. In this paper, I describe four USAID-sponsored evaluations that have been conducted since the late 1990s, and summarize their most important findings and lessons learned. It will be shown that Civic Education programmes can have meaningful and relatively long-lasting effects in terms of increasing political information, feelings of empowerment, and mobilizing individuals to engage in political participation, but that they are much less likely to affect more `deep-seated´ democratic values such as political tolerance, support, and trust. Moreover, the size of these effects depends critically on how the programmes are designed, the kinds of pedagogical methods employed and the quality of the facilitators or trainers, with much evidence suggesting that the potential for larger-scale changes in democratic orientations through Civic Education is not being realized in practice. I conclude with a discussion of current developments in the field, as a significant amount of recent new work has emerged.
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Civic Education and democratic backsliding in the wake of kenya s post 2007 election violence
The Journal of Politics, 2012Co-Authors: Steven E Finkel, Jeremy Horowitz, Reynaldo T RojomendozaAbstract:This paper examines two previously unexplored questions related to the impact of Civic Education programs in emerging democracies: 1) whether such programs have longer-terms effects, and 2) whether Civic Education can be effective in the context of democratic “backsliding.” We investigate these questions in the context of a large-scale Civic Education program implemented in Kenya between 2006 and 2007. The program ended just before the disputed 2007 election that sparked a wave of ethnic clashes that killed more than 1,000 people, displaced at least 350,000 from their homes, and brought the country to the brink of civil war. Data come from a survey of 3,600 respondents conducted in late-2008, about nine months after the violence. We test for program effects across a range of dependent variables, and find that the program did have longer-term effects, particularly on variables related to Civic competence and engagement. It had less consistent effects, however, on core democratic values and orientations. These findings are consistent with previous studies of the short-term effects of Civic Education. Intriguingly, we also find that the program had positive effects related to Kenya’s post-election violence. Participants in the program who subsequently were affected by the violence were less likely (relative to non-participants who were later affected by the violence) to adopt negative beliefs about Kenya’s political system, less likely to support the use of ethnic or political violence, and more likely to forgive those responsible for the post-election violence.
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Civic Education political discussion and the social transmission of democratic knowledge and values in a new democracy kenya 2002
American Journal of Political Science, 2011Co-Authors: Steven E Finkel, Amy Erica SmithAbstract:How does Civic Education affect the development of democratic political culture in new democracies? Using a unique threewave panel data set from Kenya spanning the transitional democratic election of 2002, we posit a two-step process of the social transmission of democratic knowledge, norms, and values. Civic Education first affected the knowledge, values, and participatory inclinations of individuals directly exposed to the Kenyan National Civic Education Programme (NCEP). These individuals became opinion leaders, communicating these new orientations to others within their social networks. Individuals who discussed others’ Civic Education experiences then showed significant growth in democratic knowledge and values, in many instances more than individuals with direct exposure to the program. We find further evidence of a “compensation effect,” such that the impact of Civic Education and post-Civic Education discussion was greater among Kenyans with less Education and with lower levels of social integration.
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Civic Education in post apartheid south africa alternative paths to the development of political knowledge and democratic values
Political Psychology, 2005Co-Authors: Steven E Finkel, Howard R ErnstAbstract:Despite the proliferation of Civic Education programs in the emerging democracies of Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe, there have been few recent evaluations of the effectiveness of Civics instruction in achieving changes in democratic orientations among student populations. We present findings from a study conducted in 1998 that examined the impact of democratic Civic Education among South African high school students. Using a battery of items to gauge democratic orientations, including measures of political knowledge, Civic duty, tolerance, institutional trust, Civic skills, and approval of legal forms of political participation, we find that Civic Education had the largest effects on political knowledge, with the magnitude of the effect being approximately twice as large as the recent Niemi and Junn (1998) finding for the United States. Exposure to Civic Education per se had weaker effects on democratic values and skills; for these orientations, what matters are specific factors related to the quality of instruction and the use of active pedagogical methods employed by Civics instructors. Further, we find that Civic Education changed the structure of students’ orientations: a “democratic values” dimension coalesces more strongly, and in greater distinction, from a “political competence” dimension among students exposed to Civic Education than among those with no such training. We discuss the implications of the findings for our theoretical understanding of the role of Civic Education in fostering democratic attitudes, norms, and values, as well as the practical implications of the results for the implementation and funding of Civic Education programs in developing democracies in the future.
William A Galston - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Civic knowledge Civic Education and Civic engagement a summary of recent research
International Journal of Public Administration, 2007Co-Authors: William A GalstonAbstract:Abstract In recent decades, many indicators of Civic involvement in the United States have declined. The decline is political engagement has been especially pronounced, although signs of renewed interest evident in the 2006 elections may represent a reversal of long-established trends. Trust in government and most major social institutions remains low, although young adults seem somewhat more favorably disposed than others to the public sector. While volunteering is up, charitable contributions have fallen as a percentage of GDP. Despite large increases in formal Education, measures of political knowledge have remained flat for decades. Renewed attention to Civic Education may help moderate some of these adverse developments.
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Civic Education and political participation
Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly, 2005Co-Authors: William A GalstonAbstract:In every generation the simple passage of time has brought maturing young adults more fully into the circle of Civic life. Are today's worries about the Civic attitudes and activities of young adults in America any more justified than in times past?
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Civic Education and political participation
Phi Delta Kappan, 2003Co-Authors: William A GalstonAbstract:Today's young people are significantly less involved in and knowledgeable about Civic life than were previous generations. Mr. Galston warns that this disengagement has severe ramifications for our society. But he is optimistic that the trend can be reversed by effective school-based Civic Education. ANXIETY ABOUT the Civic attitudes and activities of young adults in America is nothing new, and its persistence is easy to understand. As far back as evidence can be found -- and virtually without exception -- young adults seem to have been less attached to Civic life than their parents and grandparents. Nor is it difficult to find plausible explanations for this gap. Civic attachment is linked to such factors as professional interests (and self-interests), a stable residential location, home ownership, marriage, and parenthood, all of which are statistically less characteristic of younger adults.1 Not surprisingly, in every generation the simple passage of time has brought maturing young adults more fully into the circle of Civic life. So are today's worries any more justified than in times past? Has anything changed? The answer, I believe, is yes. The reason is to be found in the demographic distinction between cohort effects and generational effects. "Cohorts" represent a snapshot of different age groups at the same historical moment, while "generations" represent the same age groups at different historical moments. If we compare generations rather than cohorts -- that is, if we compare today's young adults not with today's older adults but with young adults of the past -- we find evidence of diminished Civic attachment. Some of the basic facts are well known. In the early 1970s, about one- half of 18- to 29-year-olds voted in Presidential elections. By 2000, fewer than one-third did. The same pattern holds for congressional elections -- a bit more than one-fourth in the mid-1970s, compared to less than one-fifth in 2002. Less well known are the trends charted by a remarkable UCLA study, conducted since the mid-1960s and involving 250,000 matriculating college freshmen each year. Over this period, every significant indicator of political engagement has fallen by about half. Only 33% of freshmen think that keeping up with politics is important, down from 60% in 1966 (though up a bit from the all-time low of 28% recorded in 2000). Only 16% say they frequently discuss politics, down from 33% in 1966. Not surprisingly, acquisition of political knowledge from traditional media sources is way down, and as yet not enough young people are using the Internet to fill the role newspapers and network TV news once played as sources of Civic information. But the news is not all bad by any means. Today's young people are patriotic, tolerant, and compassionate. They believe in America's principles and in the American Dream. They adeptly navigate our nation's increasing diversity. And, as has been widely reported and discussed, they are more than willing to give of themselves to others. College freshmen are reporting significantly increased levels of volunteering in their last year of high school, a trend that seems to be carrying over to their early college years. But only one-third of today's young volunteers believe that they will continue this practice once they enter the paid work force. And there is no evidence that such volunteerism will lead to wider Civic engagement. On the contrary, young people typically characterize their volunteering as an alternative to official politics, which they see as self-absorbed and unrelated to their deeper ideals. They have limited knowledge of government's impact, either on themselves or on those they seek to assist. They understand why it matters to feed a hungry person at a soup kitchen; they do not understand why it matters where government sets eligibility levels for food stamps or payment levels for the Earned Income Tax Credit. …
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political knowledge political engagement and Civic Education
Annual Review of Political Science, 2001Co-Authors: William A GalstonAbstract:After decades of neglect, Civic Education is back on the agenda of political science in the United States. Despite huge increases in the formal Educational attainment of the US population during the past 50 years, levels of political knowledge have barely budged. Today's college graduates know no more about politics than did high school graduates in 1950. Recent research indicates that levels of political knowledge affect the acceptance of democratic principles, attitudes toward specific issues, and political participation. There is evidence that political participation is in part a positional good and is shaped by relative as well as absolute levels of Educational attainment. Contrary to findings from 30 years ago, recent research suggests that traditional classroom-based Civic Education can significantly raise political knowledge. Service learning—a combination of community-based Civic experience and systematic classroom reflection on that experience—is a promising innovation, but program evaluations ha...
Benjamin Hoyt - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the changing landscape the role of Civic Education on political efficacy among latina os and asian americans
Journal of Political Science Education, 2021Co-Authors: Nathan Chan, Benjamin HoytAbstract:This paper examines the influence of Civic Education on political engagement across racial groups. While scholars focus on the political efficacy gap between Black and White students, we extend att...
Elyse Eidmanaadahl - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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redesigning Civic Education for the digital age participatory politics and the pursuit of democratic engagement
Theory and Research in Social Education, 2016Co-Authors: Joseph Kahne, Erica Hodgin, Elyse EidmanaadahlAbstract:The digital revolution has enabled important changes in political life. Opportunities to engage in participatory politics have expanded significantly. Participatory politics differ from institutional politics in that they are peer-based, interactive, and not guided by deference to traditional elites and institutions. These changes require a response from Civic educators. Core practices of Civic and political engagement, such as investigation, dialogue, circulation, production, and mobilization, must be taught differently because they are now frequently enacted differently and in different contexts. This article conceptualizes these changes, draws on a nationally representative survey to assess the frequency and expansion of these new practices, and highlights examples of curricular reform to help frame an expanded agenda for Civic Education in the digital age.
Howard R Ernst - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Civic Education in post apartheid south africa alternative paths to the development of political knowledge and democratic values
Political Psychology, 2005Co-Authors: Steven E Finkel, Howard R ErnstAbstract:Despite the proliferation of Civic Education programs in the emerging democracies of Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe, there have been few recent evaluations of the effectiveness of Civics instruction in achieving changes in democratic orientations among student populations. We present findings from a study conducted in 1998 that examined the impact of democratic Civic Education among South African high school students. Using a battery of items to gauge democratic orientations, including measures of political knowledge, Civic duty, tolerance, institutional trust, Civic skills, and approval of legal forms of political participation, we find that Civic Education had the largest effects on political knowledge, with the magnitude of the effect being approximately twice as large as the recent Niemi and Junn (1998) finding for the United States. Exposure to Civic Education per se had weaker effects on democratic values and skills; for these orientations, what matters are specific factors related to the quality of instruction and the use of active pedagogical methods employed by Civics instructors. Further, we find that Civic Education changed the structure of students’ orientations: a “democratic values” dimension coalesces more strongly, and in greater distinction, from a “political competence” dimension among students exposed to Civic Education than among those with no such training. We discuss the implications of the findings for our theoretical understanding of the role of Civic Education in fostering democratic attitudes, norms, and values, as well as the practical implications of the results for the implementation and funding of Civic Education programs in developing democracies in the future.