Civic Engagement in the Atlantic Community

by Janning, Josef; Kupchan, Charles; Rumberg, Dirk

• ISBN13: 9783892042532
• ISBN10: 3892042535
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Bertelsmann Stiftung

Summary

The "West," the "Atlantic community," the "transatlantic alliance"--these were expressions used widely during the decades of east-west conflict, distinguishing the West from the negative image of the eastern bloc. The end of the old political order in Eastern Europe gave the Atlantic community the opportunity to redefine its self-image.In this book, high-ranking experts and politicians examine the question of whether and to what extent this chance was used. The highly endorsed values of this community are put to the test here and the idea of a "civic society" discussed: is it the appropriate groundwork for a new bridge across the Atlantic?

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 7
Introduction: Civic Engagement and Atlantic Relations	p. 11
American Society in European Perspective	p. 23
Decline of Community? Comparative Observations on Germany and the United States	p. 55
Social Capital in America: Civil Society and Civic Trust	p. 67
Metamorphosis to Civil Society: The European Case	p. 79
Community, Civil Society, and Social Ecology	p. 97
Civil Society: Getting Beyond the Rhetoric. A Framework for Political Understanding	p. 115
The "Burgergesellschaft": Scope for Reforming the Welfare State?	p. 143
In Search of Common Ground: Transatlantic Relations and Civil Society	p. 151
Civic Engagement and the Future of the European Welfare State	p. 173
Firming the Foundations: Constitutionalizing and Memorializing the Free World Complex	p. 185
Civil Society - Skeptical Comments on a Familiar Debate and Two Hopeful Speculations	p. 215
The Authors	p. 225
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