Civic Talk: Peers, Politics, and the Future of Democracy (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781439902721)

Does talking about civic issues encourage civic participation? In his innovative book, a"Civic Talk," Casey Klofstad shows that our discussions about politics and current events with our friends, colleagues, and relativesOCocivic talkOCohas the ability to turn thought into actionOCofrom voting to volunteering in civic organizations.

KlofstadOCOs path breaking research is the first to find evidence of a causal relationship between the casual chatting and civic participation. He employs survey information and focus groups consisting of randomly assigned college freshman roommates to show this behavior in action. Klofstad also illustrates how civic talk varies under different circumstances and how the effects can last years into the future. Based on these findings, Klofstad contends that social context plays a central role in maintaining the strength of democracy. This conclusion cuts against the grain of previous research, which primarily focuses on individual-level determinants of civic participation, and negates social-level explanations.

Author: Casey Klofstad
ISBN-10: 1439902720
ISBN-13: 9781439902721
Publisher: Temple University Press
Language: English
Published: 12/10/2010
Pages: 200
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.20w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 08/01/2011