United We Serve National Service and the Future of Citizenship

by Dionne, E. J.; Drogosz, Kayla Meltzer; Litan, Robert E.

• ISBN13: 9780815718659
• ISBN10: 0815718659
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-12
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Summary

Public rhetoric in the United States has always laid heavy stress on the obligations of citizenship. Bill Clinton praised the idea of service, and so does George W. Bush. Since September 11, the debate over service and the obligations of citizenship has become even more urgent. United We Serve gathers many diverse voices on civic life and civic obligation to explore the idea of national service as it relates to citizenship. Activists and practitioners discuss the rise of the service movement, its practical successes, and its challenges. Policymakers and political leaders explore the links between service and problem solving. Political scientists and philosophers connect the service debate to larger concerns about democratic participation. The book also includes a lively debate over whether the U.S. should reconsider compulsory national service. The discussion about service is a debate over how Americans think of themselves and their nation --and about what the "new patriotism" means. Contributors include: Daniel Blumenthal, Harry Boyte, John M. Bridgeland, Louis Caldera, Bruce Chapman, former President Bill Clinton, Charles Cobb Jr., Jane Eisner, Jean Bethke Elshtain, William Galston, Stephen Goldsmith, Robert D. Haas, Stephen Hess, Peter D. Hart and Mario A. Brossard, Alan Khazei, John Lehman, Leslie Lenkowsky, Paul C. Light, Michael Lind, Tod Lindberg, Will Marshall and Marc Magee, Senator John McCain, Charles Moskos, Robert Putnam, Representative Charles Rangel, Alice M. Rivlin, Michael Schudson, Mark Shields, Carmen Sirianni, Theda Skocpol, Andrew L. Stern, Jeff Swartz, Steven Waldman, Caspar Weinberger, David Winston, Harris Wofford, and Robert Wuthnow.

Author Biography

E.J. Dionne Jr. is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group, and cochair of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life Kayla Meltzer Drogosz is a senior research analyst at the Brookings Institution and series coordinator for the Pew Forum Dialogues on Religion and Public Life Robert E. Litan is vice president and director of Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he also holds the Cabot Family Chair in Economics

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Acknowledgments	xix
1. United We Serve? The Promise of National Service	1	(12)
E. J. Dionne Jr, and Kayla Meltzer Drogosz
PART ONE HOW SEPTEMBER II CHANGED US
2. Bowling Together	13	(7)
Robert D. Putnam
3. Will September 11 Revitalize Civic Democracy?	20	(13)
Theda Skocpol
4. Patriotism-Lite Meets the Citizen-Soldier	33	(12)
Charles Moskos
PART TWO POLITICS OF THE SERVICE DEBATE
5. The Politics of Service	45	(7)
Harris Woord
6. Service and the Bush Administration's Civic Agenda	52	(8)
John M. Bridgeland, Stephen Goldsmith, and Leslie Lenkowsky
7. Patriotism Means Reaching beyond Our Self-Interest	60	(8)
John McCain
8. The Duties of Democracy	68	(4)
William J. Clinton
9. Thinking Bigger about Citizenship	72	(12)
Will Marshall and Marc Magee
10. Solving Problems through Service: Labor and National Service	84	(3)
Andrew L. Stern
11. Doing Well and Doing Good: The Business Community and National Service	87	(3)
Jeff Swartz
12. Flying Colors: Americans after September 11	90	(4)
David Winston
13. A New Greatest Generation?	94	(7)
Peter D. Hart and Mario A. Brossard
PART THREE UNIVERSAL SERVICE?
14. The Obligations of September 11, 2001: The Case for Universal Service	101	(7)
Robert E. Litan
15. A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Passed: The Case against Universal Service	108	(8)
Bruce Chapman
Comment: The Case for Universal Service-Again: A Reply to Bruce Chapman	116	(5)
Robert E. Litan
16. A Solution in Search of a Problem	121	(12)
Michael Lind
17. In Power, but Not in Peril	133	(3)
Mark Shields
18. Bring Back the Draft	136	(2)
Charles B. Rangel
19. Dodgy Drafters	138	(3)
Caspar W. Weinberger
20. Degraded into a Trade	141	(3)
John Lehman
21. Military Service and the Middle Class: A Letter to My Sons	144	(5)
Stephen Hess
PART FOUR EXPERIENCES OF SERVICE
22. The American Military and the Idea of Service	149	(5)
Louis Caldera
23. Empowering Communities: The Gift of the Civil Rights Movement	154	(3)
Charles Cobb Jr.
24. Is the Era of Recreational Government Bashing Over?	157	(3)
Alice M. Rivlin
25. Service in the Pursuit of Social Justice	160	(3)
Daniel Blumenthal
26. Profits through Principles	163	(3)
Robert D. Haas
27. A New Citizenship for a New Century	166	(3)
Alan Khazei
28. First Vote	169	(6)
Jane Eisner
PART FIVE SERVICE AND THE CHALLENGES OF CIVIC PARTICIPATION
29. Can Civic Knowledge Motivate the Next Generation?	175	(7)
William Galston
Comment: Learning Service at Ground Zero	182	(2)
Mason Anderson and Kayla Meltzer Drogosz
30. Service and the State: Should We Politicize Social Bonds?	184	(7)
Tod Lindberg
31. Civic Innovation and Public Policy for Democracy	191	(7)
Carmen Sirianni
32. The Volunteering Decision: What Prompts It? What Sustains It?	198	(11)
Paul C. Light
PART SIX SERVING GOD AND COUNTRY
33. Civil Society, Religion, and the Formation of Citizens	209	(13)
Jean Bethke Elshtain
34. The Impact of Religious Involvement on Civic Life	222	(16)
Robert Wuthnow
35. Challenging America's Faithful	238	(7)
Steven Waldman
PART SEVEN MAKING GOOD CITIZENS
36. Citizenship without Politics? A Critique of Pure Service	245	(8)
Kayla Meltzer Drogosz
37. Public Work and the Dignity of Politics	253	(10)
Harry C. Boyte
38. How People Learn to Be Civic	263	(16)
Michael Schudson
Notes	279	(24)
Contributors	303	(14)
Index	317