What is the good citizen, and how can modern democratic societies nurture more good citizens?
These questions have animated me as a sociologist for nearly two decades now, and they are a key impetus for Learning Life.
As I’ve noted in my own research, some critics of democracy enjoy saying that Americans live in a republic, not a democracy. Our founders, these critics like to add, never intended a democracy, which they often associated with mob rule, but rather a republic governed by wiser representatives chosen from among the people. There is some truth to this, but some of the founders did advocate nurturing an informed and engaged citizenry, and subsequent political leaders in the United States and elsewhere have called again and again for government “of, by and for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln famously put it.
Today, in retrospect, it seems fairer to argue that a republic requires democracy of some kind. That may seem paradoxical if one defines a republic as rule by representatives and democracy as rule by the people themselves. However, what I mean is that elected representatives, left to rule alone without the scrutiny and involvement of the people, may be more likely to advance their own interests and those of their friends than those of the people. Ensuring our representatives more often than not advance the interests of the people requires informed and engaged citizens – that is, some measure of democracy – to keep them honest.
Thus, informed and engaged individuals are good citizens, and good citizens can help ensure governments, local to global, are more responsive and accountable to the people. The trouble, as the French political thinker Benjamin Constant noted so well in the early 19th century, is that it’s usually difficult to get most modern citizens to stay informed and engaged because they are so absorbed in their private pursuits of happiness at work and leisure with family, friends and colleagues.
There are no lack of public proposals for ways to nurture informed and engaged citizens, from civics in schools to more open government, citizen issue assemblies, and more democratically financed elections (e.g., low dollar limits on campaign contributions to encourage candidates to engage more ordinary citizens rather than wealthy donors). Many of these public proposals can indeed help inform and engage more citizens, but they ignore the powerful lure away from public engagement that private life poses.
Accordingly, citizen engagement demands not just public solutions, but private ones. As the American sociologist Herbert Gans wisely put it, “if citizens cannot or will not come to political institutions to participate, these institutions have to come to them” (Gans 1988: 123). Gans mostly had in mind ways to make government and media more representative of and responsive to the people. In contrast, I have in mind ways in which private life can nudge people into public life, and in particular how business can help engage people more in their government and communities, local to global.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I find the burgeoning interest in social entrepreneurialism – in essence, using business to do good – encouraging. More and more for-profits and non-profits alike are selling services or goods — from food to soap to shoes — to do good in the world, and in so doing, informing their customers a little about social problems and ways to address them.
Constant, Benjamin. 1997 [1833]. “The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns” in The Libertarian Reader, ed. David Boaz. New York: The Free Press.
Gans, Herbert J. 1988. Middle American Individualism: Political Participation and Liberal Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press.
Lachelier, Paul. 2007. “Democracy, Individualism and the Civil-Civic Citizen: Young American Professionals Talk about Community, Politics and Citizenship.” Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Five Facts on the Demographics of American Women
Every day, Learning Life spreads facts on current topics on our Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin pages. This helps advance Learning Life’s mission to nurture a wider culture of learning using everyday surfaces, including our social media pages. The following facts on U.S. women’s current demographics come as the United States celebrates Women’s History Month in March.
1) As of July 2014, there were five million more females than males living in the USA — 162 million vs. 157 million, respectively.
2) Two signs of the ever growing role of women in the American workplace: as of 2014, women 16 and older comprised nearly half (47%) of the U.S. civilian labor force. Fourteen percent of working women were in management, professional and related jobs in 2014.
3) Women are getting more educated than men: women constituted 55.2% of all college students in 2014, and among those with advanced degrees (i.e., more than a college degree), 30.2% of women held professional certifications or licenses compared with 29.9% of men.
4) Yet women are still paid much less than men: women working full-time year-round made 77 cents to every $1 men working full-time year-round made in 2012. There was no change in this pay inequality from 2011 to 2012.
5) As of 2014, American women age 40 to 44 had on average given birth to 2 children, down from 3 in 1976. The percentage of women age 40 to 44 who had not given birth was 15% in 2014, up from 10% in 1976. Still, in 2013 there were 5.2 million stay-at-home mothers compared with 214,000 stay-at-home fathers nationwide.
This page highlights our past signia surface projects — focused on using everyday surfaces to spread signia, or significant information — in metro Washington D.C., where Learning Life is based.
“Buy Local, Learn Local” Project in Alexandria, VA
In November and December 2013, with funding from the City of Alexandria and local sponsors, Learning Life undertook a “buy local, learn local” project that promoted Alexandria businesses and history museums. Learning Life designed, printed and distributed free “buy local, learn local” wallet cards and tote bags which area residents could use to visit the city’s history museums and to get special holiday discounts to fourteen local businesses in the eclectic Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. We also created two Alexandria history quizzes (see Quiz 1 and Quiz 2) in cooperation with the City’s Office of Historic Alexandria, which we promoted via a weekly project e-newsletter. The e-newsletter also offered interesting city history facts, discount details and the opportunity to win local business gift certificates for perfect scores on the city history quizzes. Learn more about this project here.
JFK Education Project in Washington, DC
In December 2013, Learning Life partnered with Washington D.C.’s Newseum to promote public learning about the legacy of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in light of the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Learning Life printed and distributed 10,000 paper beverage napkins in restaurants in several commercial centers in Washington D.C. The napkin, featured here, posed the question “Who did JFK defeat to become President in 1960?” with the answer provided upside-down. The napkin also invited readers to take a five-question JFK quiz at Learning Life, through which quiz takers could get a discounted ticket to the Newseum. Learning Life promoted the quiz and the Newseum’s JFK exhibits through the napkins, online promotion and street theater in which an actor playing JFK delivered his 1961 inaugural address at several locations in Washington D.C. For more, see Learning Life’s brief promotional video about this project.
Alexandria History Fortune Cookie Project
In January-April 2014, Learning Life followed on its Alexandria “Buy Local, Learn Local” Project described above with fortune cookies (we called them “Smart Cookies”) featuring Alexandria history questions and facts leading to more learning at our website. Learning Life distributed the cookies free in restaurants, bars, cafes and other local businesses in Alexandria. Donations were requested, with all proceeds benefiting Learning Life and the Historic Alexandria Foundation. See more photos of some of the cookies as well as the questions and answers posed inside them here.
Learning Life’s Promotional Surfaces
Learning Life has its own branded surfaces (beverage napkins, drink coasters, fridge magnets, tote bags and t-shirts) that invite readers to learn at our website, with our website address and a QR code printed on each surface. If you’d like any of these products, contact us at email@learninglife.info.
Five Facts on African American Demographics
Every day, Learning Life spreads facts on current topics on our Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin pages. This helps advance Learning Life’s mission to nurture a wider culture of learning using everyday surfaces, including our social media pages. The following facts on current African American demographics come as the United States celebrates Black History Month in February.
1) 46.3 million Americans identified as black or mixed race (including black) in 2015.
2) 57% of African Americans lived in the South in 2010, up from 55% in 2000, but down from 90% in 1900.
3) New York has the most African American residents (3.8 million). The District of Columbia has the highest proportion of blacks (50%), followed by Mississippi (38.3%).
4) The median annual income of black households in 2015 was $36,544, compared with the national median of $55,775. In 2015, 25.4% of African Americans lived in poverty compared with 14.7% of the total U.S. population.
5) 2.8 million blacks enrolled in college in 2015.
Thus, informed and engaged individuals are good citizens, and good citizens can help ensure governments, local to global, are more responsive and accountable to the people. The trouble, as the French political thinker Benjamin Constant noted so well in the early 19th century, is that it’s usually difficult to get most modern citizens to stay informed and engaged because they are so absorbed in their private pursuits of happiness at work and leisure with family, friends and colleagues.
