Citizen Governance

by Box, Richard C.

• ISBN13: 9780761912576
• ISBN10: 0761912576
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-12-24
• Publisher: Sage Pubns

Summary

Drawing on fundamental ideas about the relationship of citizens to the public sphere, Richard C Box presents a model of 'citizen governance'. Recognizing the challenges in the community governance setting, he advocates rethinking the structure of local government and the roles of citizens, elected officials and public professionals in the twenty-first century. His model shifts a large part of the responsibility for local public policy from the professional and the elected official to the citizen. Citizens take part directly in creating and implementing policy, elected officials coordinate the policy process, and public professionnals facilitate citizen discourse, offering the knowledge of public practice needed for successful 'citizen governance.'

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix	(4)
Acknowledgments	xiii
1. Introduction: A Return to Original Values	1	(26)
The Three Returns to Values of the Past	5	(7)
Value of the Past Number 1: Local Control	5	(3)
Value of the Past Number 2: Small and Responsive Government	8	(2)
Value of the Past Number 3: The Professional as Adviser, Not Controller	10	(2)
The Downslope of the Wave of Reform	12	(7)
The Principles of Community Governance	19	(3)
The "Is" and the "Ought"	22	(4)
Design of the Book	26	(1)
2. The Nature of Community Governance	27	(39)
Describing the Institution of Local Governance	27	(2)
The Separate Path of Local Government	29	(7)
The Era of Elite Control	30	(2)
The Era of Democracy	32	(2)
The Era of Professionalism	34	(1)
The Era of Citizen Governance	35	(1)
The Institutional Legacy	36	(5)
Power in the Community	41	(3)
The Debate About Community Leadership	44	(2)
City Limits	46	(1)
The Growth Machine	47	(4)
Four Cities	51	(4)
Varying Responses to Community Politics: A Case Study	55	(7)
Community Policy Orientations	62	(4)
3. Citizens	66	(37)
Models of American Citizenship	66	(9)
Critical Theory	75	(2)
Governance by Citizens	77	(9)
Barriers to Citizen Governance	86	(6)
The Individual Knowledge Limit	92	(3)
Creating Citizen Governance	95	(8)
4. Representatives	103	(19)
The Trustee and the Delegate	103	(1)
The Nature of Community Representation	104	(6)
The Burden of Representation	110	(5)
Routine and Community Interest Policy	115	(3)
The Coordinating Council	118	(4)
5. Practitioners	122	(25)
The Context of Public Service	122	(1)
Evolution of the Public Service Practitioner	123	(2)
The Public Service Role	125	(3)
The Goals of Practitioners	128	(6)
Personal Motivations	128	(1)
Value-Free Neutrality	129	(5)
Legitimacy	134	(1)
Development Versus Sustainability	135	(1)
Social Equity	136	(1)
Facilitating Citizen Discourse	137	(1)
Three Practitioner Role Types	138	(4)
The Helper and the Paradox of "Giving Away"	142	(5)
6. Citizen Governance	147	(21)
The Principles of Community Governance	147	(2)
The Community Context	149	(4)
Community Policy Orientations	153	(3)
Citizens, Representatives, and Practitioners	156	(6)
Community Citizenship	156	(2)
Community Representation	158	(2)
Community Public Practice	160	(2)
Making Citizen Governance Work	162	(2)
Overview	162	(1)
The Principles of Community Governance as Guide	163	(1)
Commitment	163	(1)
Elements of Citizen Governance	164	(3)
Creating the Structure	164	(2)
Implementation	166	(1)
Conclusion	167	(1)
References	168	(8)
Index	176	(9)
About the Author	185