Engaging the Public How Government and the Media Can Reinvigorate American Democracy

by Hays, Carol E.; Hays, Scott P.; Simon, Paul; Austin, Erica Weintraub; Becker, Theodore L.; Bennett, Stephen Earl; Budzisz, Christopher; Burchett, Justin; Calvert, Jerry; Chaffee, Steven H.; Doppelt, Jack; Drew, Dan; Eveland, William P., Jr.; Horowitz, Edw

• ISBN13: 9780847688890
• ISBN10: 0847688895
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-09-10
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

This volume of original essays by leading political scientists and media scholars examines the nature of political disengagement among the public and offers concrete solutions for how the government and media can stimulate public engagement in the political process.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	ix	(2)
Foreword	xi	(2)
Senator Paul Simon
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction: Disengagement and Reform	1	(10)
Part I Citizen Engagement: The People	11	(56)
1 No-Show '96: Americans Who Do Not Vote	17	(12)
Ellen Shearer
Dwight L. Morris
Jack Doppelt
2 Alienation and the "Soccer Mom:" A Media Creation or a New Trend in Voting Behavior?	29	(12)
Barbara L. Poole
Melinda A. Mueller
3 Alienation, Engagement, and the College Student: A Focus Group Study	41	(16)
Carol E. Hays
4 Second Chance Political Socialization: "Trickle-up" Effects of Children on Parents	57	(10)
Michael McDevitt
Steven H. Chaffee
Part II Citizen Engagement: The Media	67	(70)
5 Media and Participation: Breaking the Spiral of Disaffection	75	(12)
Bruce E. Pinkleton
Erica Weintraub Austin
6 Voter Interest and Participation in the 1996 Presidential Election: Did the Debates Matter?	87	(10)
David Weaver
Dan Drew
Wei Wu
7 Consequences of Negative Political Advertising Exposure	97	(14)
Wayne Wanta
James B. Lemert
Tien-tsung Lee
8 Political Talk Radio Shows' Impact on Democratic Citizenship	111	(12)
Stephen Earl Bennett
9 A Vehicle for Engagement or a Haven for the Disaffected? Internet Use, Political Alienation, and Voter Participation	123	(14)
Thomas J. Johnson
Barbara K. Kaye
Part III Citizen Engagement: Reform	137	(98)
10 Election Law Reform and Turnout: What Works?	143	(10)
Jerry Calvert
11 Voting Trends in the States: The Impact of Reform	153	(14)
Christopher Budzisz
Scott P. Hays
12 Early Voting in Tennessee: Removing Barriers to Participation	167	(8)
Grant W. Neeley
Lilliard Richardson
13 Armchair Voting: The Vote-by-Mail Experiment in the State of Oregon	175	(10)
Priscilla L. Southwell
Justin Burchett
14 Debate Watch '96 and Citizen Engagement: Building Democracy through Citizen Communication	185	(10)
Mitchell S. McKinney
Julia A. Spiker
Lynda Lee Kaid
15 Going Beyond Adults and Voter Turnout: Evaluating a Socialization Program Involving Schools, Family and Media	195	(12)
Jack M. McLeod
William P. Eveland, Jr.
Edward M. Horowitz
16 Increasing the Quality and Quantity of Citizen Participation: New Technologies and New Techniques	207	(10)
Christa Daryl Slaton
Theodore L. Becker
17 Engaging the Public: An Agenda for Reform	217	(18)
Thomas J. Johnson
Carol E. Hays
Scott P. Hays
References	235	(30)
Index	265	(12)
About the Contributors	277