%0 Thesis %1 RidlenRay2000Out %A Ridlen Ray, Marcella %C Ann Arbor %D 2000 %K 2000 American_history Civil_society Democracy FDZ_IUP ISSP ISSP_input2016 Social_sciences Social_structure Twentieth_century Voluntary_associations checked english input2016 isspbib2016 phdthesis political_science %P 367-367 p. %T Out of the shadows: An empirical analysis of how civil society in the United States changed during the 20th century %X This study, prompted by scholarly debate about the health of civil society in the United States, identifies ways in which the institution evolved during the twentieth century. Democratic civil society sustains a flexible tension between diverse elements. A conceptual model of democratic civil society is posited, based on Tocqueville's Democracy in America and pluralist theory. The model is used to select indicators and organize quantitative and qualitative data that document change and stability in five components of civil society: communication, diversity, autonomy, mediation , and voluntary association . An empirical baseline for future assessment of this institution is hereby established. Data examined include: number of voluntary associations in relation to population growth, personal resources and constraints, nominal and active membership, volunteering, charitable giving, citizen participation, activism, interests and rationales for association, informal association, crosscutting, communications media freedom, local news and advertising, connections made via media and communication technology, local self-government, local fiscal autonomy, public sentiment for things local, progress toward democratic objectives, political party identification, political parties as mediator, and the expanding role of the Supreme Court in sustaining democratic tensions. Evidence of decline in social connectedness is not found. Instead, social connectedness became more extensive in the twentieth century, largely through the expansion of social space and multiplication of weak social ties. A wider and more diverse array of choices in the exercise of voluntary association developed. Voluntary association became less dense and more democratic. This taxes the autonomy of civil society, with its greater accessibility to forces of centralism. Mediation that bridges differences in a large, loosely constructed, complex social space is also more difficult. On the other hand, stability derives from the elasticity of civil society, its constitutional protection, the rule of law, the application of technologies in service to associational life, and the embeddedness of values, priorities, and preferences for voluntary association. U.S. civil society thus sustains a workable balance of democratic tension between diverse elements of society by supplying flexibility and resilience. These findings recommend public policy that respects autonomy and facilitates effective mediation between institutions, among the citizenry, and between citizens and institutions. %@ 9780599667365; 0599667362

@phdthesis{RidlenRay2000Out, abstract = {This study, prompted by scholarly debate about the health of civil society in the United States, identifies ways in which the institution evolved during the twentieth century. Democratic civil society sustains a flexible tension between diverse elements. A conceptual model of democratic civil society is posited, based on Tocqueville's Democracy in America and pluralist theory. The model is used to select indicators and organize quantitative and qualitative data that document change and stability in five components of civil society: communication, diversity, autonomy, mediation , and voluntary association . An empirical baseline for future assessment of this institution is hereby established. Data examined include: number of voluntary associations in relation to population growth, personal resources and constraints, nominal and active membership, volunteering, charitable giving, citizen participation, activism, interests and rationales for association, informal association, crosscutting, communications media freedom, local news and advertising, connections made via media and communication technology, local self-government, local fiscal autonomy, public sentiment for things local, progress toward democratic objectives, political party identification, political parties as mediator, and the expanding role of the Supreme Court in sustaining democratic tensions. Evidence of decline in social connectedness is not found. Instead, social connectedness became more extensive in the twentieth century, largely through the expansion of social space and multiplication of weak social ties. A wider and more diverse array of choices in the exercise of voluntary association developed. Voluntary association became less dense and more democratic. This taxes the autonomy of civil society, with its greater accessibility to forces of centralism. Mediation that bridges differences in a large, loosely constructed, complex social space is also more difficult. On the other hand, stability derives from the elasticity of civil society, its constitutional protection, the rule of law, the application of technologies in service to associational life, and the embeddedness of values, priorities, and preferences for voluntary association. U.S. civil society thus sustains a workable balance of democratic tension between diverse elements of society by supplying flexibility and resilience. These findings recommend public policy that respects autonomy and facilitates effective mediation between institutions, among the citizenry, and between citizens and institutions.}, added-at = {2019-03-20T18:49:19.000+0100}, address = {Ann Arbor}, author = {Ridlen Ray, Marcella}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2e90617d902d7cb682bac1c9ff6dc0558/gesis_dump}, interhash = {4edb1a2719237c69d9ceb9215bfc7c51}, intrahash = {e90617d902d7cb682bac1c9ff6dc0558}, isbn = {9780599667365; 0599667362}, keywords = {2000 American_history Civil_society Democracy FDZ_IUP ISSP ISSP_input2016 Social_sciences Social_structure Twentieth_century Voluntary_associations checked english input2016 isspbib2016 phdthesis political_science}, note = {(ISSP)}, notes = {http://search.proquest.com/docview/304666557?accountid=14657; http://sfx.lib.uchicago.edu/sfx_local?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&genre=dissertations+%26+theses&sid=ProQ:ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+Full+Text&atitle=&title=Out+of+the+shadows%3A+An+empirical+analysis+of+how+civil+society+in+the+United+States+changed+during+the+20th+century&issn=&date=2000-01-01&volume=&issue=&spage=&au=Ridlen+Ray%2C+Marcella&isbn=9780599667365&jtitle=&btitle=&rft_id=info:eric/&rft_id=info:doi/}, pages = {367-367 p.}, school = {George Mason University}, tagadata-svko-dda-test = {11178}, tagadata-svkoddatest2 = {11171}, timestamp = {2019-10-01T13:01:56.000+0200}, title = {Out of the shadows: An empirical analysis of how civil society in the United States changed during the 20th century}, type = {Ph.D.}, year = 2000 }