Do-It-Yourself Democracy: The Rise of the Public Engagement Industry

305 Pages·2015·3.626 MB·English

by  Caroline W. Lee

DO-IT-YOURSELF
DEMOCRACY
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DO-IT-YOURSELF
DEMOCRACY
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THE RISE OF THE PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT INDUSTRY
Caroline W. Lee
1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lee, Caroline W.
Do-it-yourself democracy : the rise of the public engagement industry / Caroline W. Lee.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–19–998726–9 (hardback)
1. Political participation—United States. 2. Social action—United States.
3. Democracy—United States. I. Title.
JK1764.L425 2015
323'.0420973—dc23
2014017049
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
Contents
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Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: Democracy 2.0? 1
Part I: the PublIC engagement r enaIssanCe
1. Democracy in Miniature 11
2. The Idealists behind the Curtain 31
Part II: ProCess e vangelIsts: sPreadIng
the gosPel of delIberatIon
3. Challenging Enemy Institutions 63
4. Walking Our Talk 96
Part III: CIvIC engagement as
a management tool
5. The Arts and Crafts of Real Engagement 123
6. Activating Empathetic Citizens 150
v
vi Contents
Part Iv: the sPIr It of
delIberatIve CaPItalIsm
7. Sharing the Pain: The Lessons Deliberation Teaches 189
Conclusion: Down Market Democracy and the Politics of Hope 223
Postscript: Notes on Data and Methods 232
Notes 241
References 257
Index 279
aCknowledgments
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this projeCt has been many years in the making, and was less DIY
than all hands on deck! First, my greatest debt is to the members of
the public engagement community who generously shared their time,
humor, passions, and frustrations with me. I hope this book will
promote the deep discussions they value.
I am thrilled to have worked with collaborators Elizabeth Long Lingo,
Michael McQuarrie, Francesca Polletta, and Edward Walker on proj-
ects related to this book, and with my EXCEL Scholars Kelly McNulty,
Zachary Romano, and Sarah Shaffer. My wonderful colleagues in
Lafayette College's Department contributed in a number of ways.
This research was supported by grants from the Academic Research
Committee and the EXCEL Scholars Program of Lafayette College.
Brian Balogh and the Miller Center’s Democracy and Governance
Studies Program at UVA have provided ongoing support and connec-
tions to the American political development community. I was also the
recipient of generous writer-in-residence grants from Bing Guckenberger
and Sasha Lehman. I feel very lucky to have so many places to call home.
Portions of this research are published in Poetics, the Journal of
Public Deliberation, Socio-Economic Review, Organization Studies, and
The Sociological Quarterly. The editors of those journals, anonymous
vii
viii aCknowledgments
reviewers, discussants and conference goers shared insights and criti-
cisms that have made this a much better project.
Bill Hoynes got me started on this path. David Meyer and Robert
Fishman shaped this project from the very beginning. Too many dear
friends, colleagues and mentors to list here have taught and supported
me all along the way. I am so grateful to all of them and hope to recip-
rocate as best I can. Jean Okie and the Cobble Hill People’s Party helped
me to the finish line.
Many thanks to James Cook and the team at Oxford University Press.
Finally, big hugs to my family, my friends, and to Mike and Molly
Nees, with love and affection.
DO-IT-YOURSELF
DEMOCRACY
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