Civil Society for the 21st Century

Introduction

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  The Adaptive Challenge of Restoring Trust in Civil Society

  Driven by a confluence of powerful secular trends, Americans’ trust in civil society has declined to alarming levels. Without addressing these trends and reversing the loss of trust, the ideal of private action for the public good could be at risk.

  By Dan Cardinali

The American Context

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  The American Context of Civil Society

  In both the conservative and progressive imagination, civil society is valued—for opposite reasons—as an arbiter between the individual and the national state. But by viewing civil society as the core of America’s social life, we can see our way toward a politics that might overcome some of the dysfunctions of our day.

  By Yuval Levin

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  Civil Society and the Foundations of Democratic Citizenship

  Civil society can act directly to solve critical problems, but its indirect effect might be just as important: allowing individuals to participate, collaborate, and—in the process—develop into citizens capable of upholding democracy.

  By Daniel Stid | 8

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  On Shared Vision and a New Social Compact

  Civic engagement and community voice make up the secret sauce of US democracy. We need a new, community-generated social compact to assert the vision and policy framework for an inclusive 21st-century America.

  By Robert K. Ross | 2

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  Today’s Charitable Sector and Its Roots and Challenges

  Like all of civil society, the American nonprofit sector is a living thing. Its recent evolution has created a large and diverse force for good, but faces distinct challenges ranging from identity to sustainability.

  By Alan J. Abramson | 3

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  Does the Tax Code Define Civil Society or Vice Versa?

  Civil society wasn’t invented by the tax code, but changes in the law can have serious, if unintended, consequences on the public good. Nothing is final, however; with change comes new opportunity.

  By Harold Hancock | 1

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  Civil Society and American Exceptionalism

  American civil society has a history of and reputation for political independence—and alongside it, accountability, transparency, and governance. But these unique qualities are at risk.

  By Brian Gallagher | 1

Lines and Ties

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  Parallel Universes? Lines and Ties in Civil Society

  The history of America’s Hispanic community shows how civil society can create a refuge for those excluded from society at large. But allowing such demarcation lines is never good enough. For a civil society to be effective, sustainable, and worthy, it must tie together all who reside in that society.

  By Janet Murguía | 1

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  Aspirin and Democracy

  With its professional management class and army of consultants, the nonprofit sector can sometimes seem isolated from the messiness of civil society, and a new Philanthropic Beltway may have sprung up. But it wasn’t always that way, and it may be time to reclaim an earlier identity as the “volunteer sector,” which is inherently democratic.

  By Jan Masaoka | 12

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  Religion and American Civil Society

  The exercise of faith serves many functions, but its paramount role is to function as the foundation of civil society.

  By Kay Coles James | 20

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  Civil Society in a Majority-Minority America? California Offers Both Hope and Caution

  The contours of civil society are influenced—but not bound—by America’s larger demographic curve. On the leading edge of that curve, California shows the kind of intentional, strategic role that civil society might play in a more equitable and sustainable future.

  By Karthick Ramakrishnan | 2

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  What Rural America Can Teach Us About Civil Society

  Rural America can be both incubator and innovator when it comes to creating and maintaining civil society.

  By Allen J. Smart & Betsey Russell | 6

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  Keeping Democracy Alive in Cities

  Cities continue to be the place where citizens can engage most directly with government—especially when nonprofits are there to offer capacity, expertise, and reach.

  By Myung J. Lee | 1

The Human Factor

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  Civil Society and Authentic Engagement in a Diverse Nation

  Discourse and dialogue have always been the hallmarks of civil society, but when the power of government is used systematically to divide and exclude, it is the stinging conversations and actions at the leading edge of civil society that will reestablish the democratic ideals of an equitable democracy.

  By Angela Glover Blackwell

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  The Best Leaders May Be Those Who “Give Up”

  Leadership is often defined by lists of character qualities, values, or skills. But what if the best leaders are simply those who can willingly give up things they value?

  By Vu Le | 6

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  What Motivates People to Participate in Civil Society?

  Every year tens of millions of Americans sacrifice their personal time and resources to participate in civil society in some way. Why do they do it? The answers are varied and intertwined, but it might boil down to this: Civic-mindedness starts early, runs deep, and aims higher.

  By Ryan Streeter | 1

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  Civil Society in the Age of Incivility

  Systems are the bedrock of every society, but it is our shared dignity as human beings that truly determines whether a society works. When society becomes uncivil, it is clear that only our shared humanity as a people can save it.

  By Ai-jen Poo | 3

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  Public Trust Reboot: Unleashing the Millennial Civic Spirit

  Why millennials’ values and ethos make them uniquely poised to close America’s civic leadership gap, and how to tap into their civic spirit.

  By Yordanos Eyoel | 2

A Question of Values

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  Looking to Civil Society for the Values that Shape a Culture

  Culture is born of values, and civil society is where people live values most urgently. Amid growing social isolation in the United States, a new set of values is emerging around community, healing, and belonging, and they will likely define an era.

  By David Brooks | 1

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  Civil Society as Public Conscience

  Civil society can help make sure that we in America do not turn our back on fundamental values, or forget about those who lack market and political power.

  By Larry Kramer | 3

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  Who Defines the ‘Good’ in ‘Common Good’?

  If a “good” is held to be common, then surely that decision must come from community. Too often the community’s role is unexamined in this regard, but the intentionality of one Native culture in defining and protecting the common good might serve as an example to us all.

  By Sarah L. Kastelic | 2

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  Civic Virtues and the Healing of Partisan Divides

  In a time when many are drawing a line between communities and ideologies, the best line to draw is one that goes right through every human heart—a line that leads to five essential civic virtues.

  By Robert A. Boisture | 4

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  Civics Can Make Us More Civil

  Civics has always been a deep-rooted part of American culture. It’s time to get it back into our classrooms.

  By Stefanie Sanford | 8

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  Volunteerism and US Civil Society

  Everyone in the public and nonprofit sectors has a role to play in fostering volunteerism, and engagement can pay dividends for all.

  By Susan N. Dreyfus | 10

Conclusion

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  Equity, Power-Sharing, and Renewal of Civil Society

  The United States can restore the trust that allows civil society to flourish by emphasizing the values that have long bound us together and by adopting the newer values of shared power and racial equity.

  By Dan Cardinali | 4