Relationship Between Constitutional Democracy And Civic Dispositions example essay topic

Education for Democratic Citizenship: A Framework Rationale for education in civics and government If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will best be attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost. Aristotle The civic mission of the schools. Although it has been argued that the establishment of the proper institutions is sufficient to maintain a free and democratic society, it is clear that even the most well-designed institutions are not sufficient. Ultimately, a free society must rely upon the knowledge, skills, and virtue of its citizens and those they elect to serve in public office on their behalf. Civic education, therefore, is essential to the preservation and improvement of a democratic society and to its governance. The goal of education in civics and government is informed, responsible participation in political life by competent citizens committed to the fundamental values and principles of democracy.

Their effective and responsible participation requires the acquisition of a common body of knowledge and of intellectual and participatory skills. Effective and responsible participation also is furthered by the development of certain dispositions or traits of character that enhance the individual's capacity to participate in the political process and to contribute to the healthy functioning of the political system and the improvement of the society. Many institutions help to develop citizens' knowledge and skills and shape their civic character and commitments. The family, religious institutions, the media, and community groups exert important influences. Schools, however, bear a special and historic responsibility for the development of civic competence and civic responsibility. Schools fulfill that responsibility through both formal and informal curricula beginning in the earliest grades and continuing through the entire educational process.

Therefore, formal instruction in civics and government should provide students with a basic understanding of civic life, politics, and government. It should help them understand how their own and other political systems work as well as the relationship of their political system to world affairs. Formal instruction provides a basis for understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy and a framework for competent and responsible participation. The formal curriculum should be augmented by related learning experiences in both the school and the community which enable students to learn how to participate in their own governance. In addition to the formal curriculum, the importance of the "informal curriculum" should be recognized. The informal curriculum refers to the governance of the school community and the relationships among those within it.

These relationships should embody fundamental democratic values and principles. Classrooms and schools should be managed by adults who govern in accordance with values and principles compatible with democracy and who display traits of character worth emulating. Students should be held accountable for behaving in accordance with fair and reasonable standards and for respecting the rights and dignity of others, including their peers. The need for explicit attention to civic education.

Although many nations recognize the need for and extol the value of civic education, this vital part of the student's overall education is seldom given sustained and systematic attention in the elementary and secondary curriculum. Inattention to civic education sometimes stems, in part, from the assumption that the knowledge and skills citizens need emerge as by-products of the study of other disciplines or as an outcome of the process of schooling itself. While it is true that history, economics, geography, literature and other subjects do enhance students' understanding of government and politics, they cannot replace sustained, systematic attention to civic education itself. Civics should be seen as a central concern from the earliest grades of school through secondary education, whether it is taught as a part of other courses or in separate units or courses. Civics and government should be seen as a discipline equal to others. Civics and government, like history and geography, is an interdisciplinary subject, whose substance is drawn principally from the disciplines of political science, political philosophy, history, economics, sociology, and jurisprudence.

In sum, civic education should not be considered incidental to the schooling of youth. Civic education instead should be considered central to the purposes of education and essential to the well-being of democracy. It is particularly important for students in less privileged socio-economic circumstances. Research tells us that if these students are to have the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills essential for informed, effective citizenship, it must be provided at elementary and secondary levels of their education.

"Government of the people, by the people, and for the people", in Abraham Lincoln's phrase, means that the people have the right to control their government. But this right is meaningless unless they have the knowledge and skills to exercise that control and possess the traits of character required to do so responsibly. Audiences and uses of this framework. The principal audiences for this framework throughout the countries of the world are: Policy makers.

The framework is intended to serve as a resource for the development and implementation of public policy in education. Curriculum developers. The framework is intended to serve as a resource for the development of curricular programs, textbooks, and other related educational materials. Teacher educators.

The framework can be used as a resource for planning and conducting teacher education programs. Teachers. The framework can be used as a resource to provide teachers with clear statements of what they should teach their students. Parents and the community. The framework can be used as a resource in the development of publications intended to provide parents and other community members with information about what their children are expected to learn about democracy. Assessment and testing specialists.

The framework can be used as a resource in the development of assessment programs designed to determine acceptable levels of performance in civic education. Sample topical question. The following illustrates the proposed format and sample elaboration of Framework topical questions. (Note: This illustration is taken from the National Standards for Civics and Government developed by the Center for use in the United States. This international framework is being developed in a format similar to the National Standards which may be seen on this website under the section on "Curricular Materials". ) Why are politics and government necessary?

Content Summary and Rationale Other than in conditions of complete anarchy, some form of politics and government is an inevitable feature of human life. Wherever people live together, some forms of collective decisions are made that are generally regarded as binding on the group and enforced as common policy. A number of arguments have been advanced historically to explain why politics and government are invariably found in human societies. One is that the creation of a political order is a natural process without which human beings cannot fulfill their potential.

Another is that humanity is sinful or depraved by nature and therefore in need of government. Other arguments are that human societies would be insecure or endangered without government and that by working collectively people can achieve goals and solve problems they could not achieve or solve alone. Governments both historically and today in varying degrees reflect one or more of these major arguments. Students should understand that politics and government are inevitable features of society in order to understand and accept the necessity for law and government in democracy and the desirability of active democratic citizenship. In order to participate in discussions about the nature of government, they should have some understanding of the reasons for the inevitability of government in and politics that have been advanced. Students should be able to explain the major arguments advanced for the necessity of politics and government.

To achieve this knowledge and understanding, students should be able to explain why politics is found wherever people are gathered together explain several major arguments for the necessity of politics and government, e. g., because human beings cannot fulfill their potential without politics and government are sinful or depraved by nature and therefore in need of direction or control by government would be insecure or endangered without government's protection working collectively can accomplish goals and solve problems they could not achieve alone describe historical and contemporary examples of how governments have reflected these major arguments Alternative draft outlines Education for Democratic Citizenship: A Framework The FIVE-PART Outline THE WORLD: The Transnational Context of Human Rights, the Open Society, and Political Order THE PEOPLE: The Foundation of Political Community and Government THE POLITY: The Ordering of Civic Life, Politics, and Political Systems THE GOVERNMENT: The Formal Institutions and Processes for Public Affairs THE CITIZEN: The Principal Actor Education for Democratic Citizenship: A Framework THE FIVE-PART Outline Goal: The generation of an understanding of democracy from first principles. THE WORLD: The Transnational Context of Human Rights, the Open Society, and Political Order What rights and liberties do persons have by virtue of their being human? What are human rights and what is natural liberty? What view of the individual is implied by the idea of human rights or the idea of natural liberty? What is the relationship between such rights or liberty and the reasons for which individuals or groups form a political association? What cross-national features (i. e., not particular to any specific country) distinguish the concept of an "open society"?

What is an open society? What view of the community is implied by the idea of an open society? What is the relationship between the idea of an open society and the reasons for which individuals or groups form a political association? How is the world organized politically? What is a nation state and how does one come into being? How does one nation influence other nations and how do relationships with other nations influence a country's society and politics?

What are some significant international political institutions and what roles do they play in international affairs? What are the international norms and conventions of democracy and individual rights? What is transnational civil society and what roles does it play in establishing, maintaining, and / or undermining democracy and individual rights? What international conditions threaten the maintenance of a democracy? Is there a relationship between democracy within nations and peace among nations? What is the current state of democratization in specific countries and in the world as a whole?

What role should democratic political systems play in encouraging democracy in the world? THE PEOPLE: The Foundation of Political Community and Government How do people become unified as "the People" of a political community-that is, a body politic with a common political identity and purposes? (Conceiving of "the People" creates the possibility of political community. The concept of "the People" as a collectivity needs to be distinguished from sharing common territory or ethnicity.) How is a constituent "People" identified and recognized? Why are "the People" the ultimate authority in a democracy-the sovereign in whose name political systems are established and justified? How is rule by the People or popular self-government consistent with the principles of human liberty and the values of an open society?

What tensions might exist between individual liberty and rule by the people? What characteristics of the people as a community have consequences for popular self-government? THE POLITY: The Ordering of Civic Life, Politics, and Political Systems What are "civic life" and "politics"? What is a "political system" or a "polity"?

What is the relationship between the culture of a society and its type of political system? What is a constitutional political system? What are "constitutions"? What is "constitutionalism"? What is the distinction between power and authority? What is the distinction between constitutional (limited) and non-constitutional (unlimited) political systems?

What is the relationship between constitutionalism and popular self-government? What is the relationship between constitutionalism and the rule of law What is the relationship between constitutionalism and an autonomous private domain? What is the relationship between constitutionalism and the protection of political and economic freedoms? What is the relationship between constitutionalism and possible limitations on the exercise of popular will? How do constitutions affect political systems and the character of a society and how do political systems and the character of society affect constitutions? How do the constitutional principles of a nation and the character of its society affect its relations with other nations?

What is a democratic political system? What are the fundamental purposes of a democracy? (e. g., protecting the liberty and rights of all individuals; promoting the public good and general welfare; fostering a sense of the individual's stake in the community; encouraging civic responsibility and political participation; fostering justice and equality under the rule of law; relying upon truth-seeking and truth-telling in the conduct of government; respecting individual and social diversity) What tensions exist among values and principles of democracy? (e. g., liberty and equality, majority rule and minority rights, right to privacy and right to know, public security and freedom of expression) What kinds of democracies can there be that fulfill the purposes and principles of popular self-government? (e. g., direct democracy and representative democracy) How do political systems become and remain democratic? What forces, events, and actions have promoted movements toward democracy? (e. g., economic internationalization, mass media, migration, social opposition, education, international organizations, and civil society) What are stages in the development of democracy? What are common problems in the development of democracy? What legacies of non-democratic rule may be inherited by democracies and how should they be dealt with? In what ways may political systems embody a mixture of democratic and non-democratic features?

What are advantages and disadvantages of democracy? What successes and failures of democracy are demonstrated by historical experience? What benefits and costs are inherent in the concept of democracy itself? How and why are the terms "democracy" and "democratic" misused? THE GOVERNMENT: The Formal Institutions and Processes for Public Affairs What is government and why is it necessary? How is government established?

What are the institutions of government? Why are institutions necessary for the conduct of politics? What are the designs of the institutions of a government? (e. g., bicameralism, committee structures, procedures) What is the structure of their relations with each other? (e. g., coordinate powers, separated powers, dependency of executive on legislative, checks and balances) What are the consequences of these designs and this structure? What are alternative ways of organizing constitutional governments? Shared powers, presidential, and parliamentary systems Confederal, federal, and unitary systems Nature of representation What is democratic government? What are the essential elements and characteristics of democratic government? (e. g., accountability of authority to the people, broad participation in decision-making, extensive access to information) What designs of institutions and arrangements among the institutions of government fulfill the principles and values of a democratic political system?

What are the various ways that political power can be divided and combined in democratic institutions? How do the design and arrangement of institutions affect accountability and the effectiveness of government? What opportunities for choice, participation, and accountability are made available to the citizen by the political institutions of a democratic government? What are the appropriate relationships between the institutions of a democratic government and other aspects of a society? With religious institutions. With military institutions.

With mass media With other associations in civil society (e. g., professional organizations, interest groups) How are domestic and foreign public policies formulated and carried out in a democracy? How are public problems identified, defined, and acted upon? How are laws and other rules proposed, made, implemented, modified, interpreted, and adjudicated? How are policy proposals and enactments evaluated with respect to constitutional principles and other fundamental values of a political system? How do the domestic politics and policies of a country affect its relations with other nations? How do relations with other nations affect domestic politics and policies?

How can the performance of democratic institutions be evaluated? THE CITIZEN: The Principal Actor What are alternative ways of understanding the individual's role in different political systems? Communal membership, e. g., familial, ethnic, religious, tribal Subject, e. g., under monarchical, theocratic, autocratic, or dictatorial rule Citizen, e. g., in a republic and / or a democracy What are alternative ways of conceptualizing the individual's orientation to the political system? e. g., subservient-passive-active, dependent-independent, child-adult What are the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens? What comparisons can be made between the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy and those of individuals in other political systems? What comparisons can be made between the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy and those who are not citizens? What comparisons can be made between the status of resident aliens in a democracy and resident aliens in other political systems?

What is the importance of the citizen's relationship to The World? (e. g., awareness of one's relationship to humanity and to transnational standards of civilization, attention to the status of constitutional democracy in other countries) The sovereign people? (e. g., an individual's consciousness of membership in the polity, contribution to the society, having a stake in sovereignty, civic pride, the right to leave or renounce citizenship) The overall political system? (e. g., patriotism, loyalty to fundamental constitutional values and principles, civic activism and attentiveness to public affairs, withdrawal of consent to constitutional arrangements and the right to propose new ones) Governmental institutions? (e. g., participating, monitoring and influencing the use of governmental authority, assessing performance of government, evaluating proposals for institutional reform, opposing the exercise of governmental power inconsistent with constitutional restraints) Other citizens? (e. g., civility, tolerance, respect for rights, fulfillment of responsibilities, discussion and mutual deliberation, cooperation, skepticism and wariness, trust, holding each other accountable, competitiveness) How can citizens and other persons take part in civic life? What is the importance of the possibility of multiple loyalties (to other individuals, groups, causes, and communities) to a democracy? What is the relationship between constitutional democracy and civic dispositions or traits of public and private character? What civic dispositions or traits of public and private character foster constitutional democracy? What civic dispositions or traits of public and private character seem to conflict with constitutional democracy but can be accommodated by it? Are there any civic dispositions or traits of public and private character that cannot be accommodated by constitutional democracy?

How can civic competence and responsibility be cultivated among citizens of a constitutional democracy? How can education promote the knowledgeable practice of democratic citizenship and constitutional responsibility? How does the possession or lack of an adequate political vocabulary or conceptual frame of reference regarding civic life affect democratic citizenship? What models of teaching or fostering knowledge, skills, and civic dispositions or traits of character are compatible with constitutional democracy? In addition to schools, what institutions, organizations, and experiences provide opportunities for the development of civic competence and responsibility? Education for Democratic Citizenship: A Framework The Seven-Part Outline What is democracy?

Why choose democracy? What makes democracy work? How does democracy work? What is citizenship in a democracy?

How do societies become and remain democratic? What roles do democracies play in world affairs? What are civic life, politics, and political systems? What is a constitution and what is constitutionalism? What is government and why is it necessary? What are the fundamental values and principles of democracy?

What is the ultimate source of authority in a democracy? (i. e., popular sovereignty) What are the fundamental values and principles of democracy? What are the major purposes of a democracy? (e. g., protecting the liberty and rights of all individuals; promoting the public good and general welfare; fostering justice and equality under the rule of law) What tensions exist among values and principles of democracy? (e. g., liberty and equality, majority rule and minority rights, right to privacy and right to know, public security and freedom of expression) What are the essential elements and characteristics of democracy? (e. g., accountability of authority to the people, equal rights of citizenship, broad participation in decision-making, distinction between civil society and government, extensive access to information, a market-based economy within a legal framework) What is the relationship between democracy and human rights? What are "human rights"? What view of the individual is implied by the idea of human rights? What is the connection between democracy and the protection of human rights?

What is the relationship between democracy and the Open Society? What is the "Open Society"? (a society characterized by, e. g., the rule of law; freedom of expression, association, and inquiry; free movement of persons and information, including the right to travel abroad and return unhindered; possibility of change based on rational criticism, including openness to free scientific research and discussion; freedom to own and use property in a market-based economy; widespread possibility of upward social mobility based on merit; minimum of government secrecy; accessibility of government information) What view of the community is implied by the idea of the Open Society? What is the connection between democracy and the creation and maintenance of the Open Society? What is the relationship between democracy and a market-based economy? What are various types of democracy? (e. g., direct or representative; majoritarian or consensual; centralized vs. decentralized decision making) What are other major types of political systems? Why choose democracy?

What are the fundamental goals of democracy? (e. g., legitimacy, stability, order, security, and fair management of conflict; protection of individual liberty; individual self-direction and development; adaptability to change and challenges; social progress; prosperity; freedom from arbitrary power; self conscious assessment, absence of dogma; fosters a sense of the individual's stake in the community) What are advantages and disadvantages of democracy? Under what circumstances has democracy contributed to the stability or instability of political systems? Under what circumstances has democracy contributed or detracted from the prosperity of society? What benefits and costs are inherent in the concept of democracy? Under what conditions, if any, might other political systems be preferable to democracy? Why might some people want to live in a political system other than a democracy?

Are there internal conditions and external circumstances of a society that might make a political system other than a democracy preferable? What characteristics of individual members of a society have consequences for democracy? What attitudes, behaviors, and practices enable a democracy to flourish? (e. g., mutual toleration, concern for the public good; limited expectations of government; respect for the rights of others) What attitudes, behaviors, and practices are detrimental to the flourishing of democracy? (e. g., hatred and intolerance; unrealistic expectations of government, apathy, inattention to public affairs) What characteristics of social groups and organizations have consequences for democracy? What attitudes, behaviors, and practices enable a democracy to flourish? (e. g., willingness to compromise; willingness to limit group interests for the public good; toleration of opposing groups) What attitudes, behaviors, and practices are detrimental to the flourishing of democracy? (e. g., unwillingness to compromise among political parties; unwillingness to listen to or tolerate the views of opposing groups; unlimited demands) What characteristics of a society as a whole have consequences for democracy?

What characteristics enable a democracy to flourish? (e. g., vibrant civil society, social trust, shared political or constitutional values, commitment to using institutional means of making-decisions and solving problems; absence of rigid classes and social fragmentation, formation of associations to promote mutual interests, competition among groups, flexibility of coalition building) What characteristics are detrimental to the flourishing of democracy? (e. g., lack of social trust; absence or poor functioning of civil society; absence of shared political or constitutional values; rigid social stratification What characteristics of governmental institutions have significant consequences for democracy? What structural features of governmental institutions enable a democracy to flourish? (e. g., accessibility, accountability, flexibility) What structural features of governmental institutions are detrimental to the flourishing of democracy? (e. g., difficulty of access, lack of accountability, lack of flexibility) What characteristics of public officials have consequences for democracy? What attitudes, behaviors, and practices enable a democracy to flourish? (e. g., willingness to compromise and cooperate; public spirited ness; willingness to abide by the law) What attitudes, behaviors, and practices are detrimental to the flourishing of democracy? (e. g., corruption; demagoguery; favoritism; inaccessibility; factionalism, unwillingness to compromise; contempt for citizens and for the law) What is the relationship between the culture of a society and the character of its political system and institutions? How can constitutionalism foster the values and purposes of democracy? What limits do constitutions place on the exercise of popular will?

What limits should constitutions place on the exercise of popular will? What limits do constitutions place on the exercise of government power? What limits should constitutions place on the exercise of government power? What kinds of attitudes, behaviors, and practices threaten the establishment and maintenance of democracy? Citizens, e. g., hatred and intolerance, unrealistic expectations of government Groups and organizations, e. g., unwillingness to compromise among political parties What kinds of conflicts threaten the establishment and maintenance of democracy?

Conflicts among individuals, e. g., political and military leaders Conflicts among groups within a society, e. g., ethnic, religious, socio-economic, gender, linguistic Conflicts within government, e. g., within or among branches of government; between civilian and military Conflicts with other nations, e. g., territorial, economic, ethnic, religious What means of managing conflicts are consistent with democratic values and principles? How does democracy work? Why are political institutions required for the conduct of democracy? What are political institutions and what are their basic functions in a democracy?

How are laws and other rules proposed, made, modified, communicated, implemented, interpreted, and adjudicated? What are the various ways political power can be divided and combined in democratic institutions? (e. g., shared-powers, presidential, and parliamentary systems; federal, confederal, and unitary systems) What are the consequences of the design and arrangements of institutions? How do the design and arrangement of institutions affect their accountability to other institutions and to citizens? How do the design and arrangements of institutions promote or detract from the effectiveness of government?

What opportunities for choice, participation, and accountability are made available to citizens by the political institutions of a democracy? (e. g., political parties, electoral systems, interest groups, access to public officials, legislative deliberations, and other public meetings) How can citizens assess the performance of political institutions? What relationships between government and religious institutions are appropriate in a democracy? What relationships between civilian and military institutions are appropriate in a democracy? What is the role of mass media in a democracy and what relationships between government and mass media are appropriate? What is the role of a civil service in a democracy? What should be the relationship between political institutions and civil society?

What is citizenship? What is the significance of citizenship in a democracy? What criteria for citizenship are compatible with democratic values and principles? What opportunities do democracies provide for individuals to take part in civic life?

What is the importance of the possibility of citizens' forming multiple loyalties (to other individuals, groups, causes, and communities) in a democracy? What are the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens? What comparisons can be made between the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy and those of individuals in other political systems? What are alternative ways of understanding the individual's role in different political systems?

Communal membership, e. g., familial, ethnic, religious, tribal Subject, e. g., under monarchical, theocratic, autocratic, or dictatorial rule Citizen, e. g., in a republic and / or a democracy What are alternative ways of conceptualizing the individual's orientation to the political system? e. g., subservient-passive-active; dependent-independent; child-adult (paternalism) What comparisons can be made between the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy and those who are not citizens? What comparisons can be made between the roles and status of resident aliens in a democracy and resident aliens in other political systems? What civic dispositions or traits of public and private character are important for the maintenance and improvement of democracy? (e. g., self-discipline and self-governance, respect for human rights, compassion, solidarity, reciprocity, civic mindedness, civility, tolerance, cooperativeness, mistrust of power, and skepticism) What is the importance of the citizens' attitudes, dispositions, and behaviors to their civic relationships? Relationships with other citizens many be influenced by, e. g., civility, tolerance, respect for rights, fulfillment of responsibilities, discussion and mutual deliberation, cooperation, skepticism and wariness, trust, holding each other accountable, competitiveness Relationships with the immediate community may be influenced by, e. g., consciousness of community membership, attentiveness to community affairs, consciousness of importance of participation, involvement in community affairs, promotion of social development Relationships with governmental institutions may be influenced by, e. g., participation, monitoring and influencing use of governmental authority, assessing performance of government, evaluating proposals for institutional reform, opposition to the exercise of governmental power inconsistent with constitutional restraints Relationships with the overall political system may be influenced by, e. g., patriotism, loyalty to fundamental constitutional values and principles, attentiveness to public affairs, withdrawal of consent to constitutional arrangements Relationships with the sovereign people may be influenced by, e. g., an individual's consciousness of membership, contribution to the society, having a stake in sovereignty, civic pride, the right to leave or renounce citizenship How do societies become and remain democratic? How do societies become democracies? What forces and events and the actions of individuals and groups have promoted movements toward democracy? (e. g., economic development and modernization; economic internationalization; mass media; migration; social opposition; education; international organizations and civil society) What are stages in the development of democracy?

What criteria should be used to determine the degree to which a democracy is established? (e. g., see checklists such as those provided by reviewers from various nations which will be included on website at later date) What is the current state of democratization in specific countries and in the world as a whole? How can new democracies deal with ideas or patterns of thought and action inherited from non-democratic political cultures and systems? What other legacies are inherited from non-democratic political systems and how should they be dealt with? (e. g., non-functional institutions, threat of military intervention, personal dependence on government, distrust of authority, breakdown of security, lawlessness, lack of political efficacy, lack of civic knowledge and skills, centralized command economies) In what ways may political systems embody a mixture of democratic and non-democratic features? Are there non-democratic features that should be accepted in a democratic political system? (e. g., central banks, military hierarchy, independent government agencies, corporations, schools, families) Are there non-democratic features that should not be accepted in a democratic political system? (e. g., political bosses, compulsory voting, nepotism, political corruption) What conditions in a society can threaten the well-being or continued existence of a democracy? What is the role of education for democratic citizenship in new and established democracies? How can civic competence and civic responsibility be cultivated and sustained in a democratic society?

How does the possession or lack of possession an adequate political vocabulary or conceptual frame of reference regarding civic life affect democratic citizenship? What models of teaching or fostering knowledge, skills, and democratic civic dispositions or traits of character are compatible with democracy? In what ways do nations influence each other? How does one nation influence other nations? How do relationships with other nations influence a nation's politics and society? What are some of the most important international political institutions and what roles do they play in international life?

What are some of the most important international norms and conventions of democracy and human rights? How do the domestic politics and constitutional principles of a nation affect its relations with other nations of the world? What is transnational civil society and what roles does it play in establishing and maintaining constitutional democracies? What international conditions can threaten the maintenance of a democracy? What role should democracies play in encouraging democracy in the world? Education for Democratic Citizenship: A Framework MODEL of the Five-Part Outline A response to the question "What is Democracy?" requires an inquiry at all five of the levels set out below.

These are different levels on which to construct and explain civic life and political community; to reflect and decide about the design of a constitutional order; to argue about fundamental principles; and to participate in public affairs. Each domain-signified by the rectangles below-is inclusive of the regions within it; e. g., the polity includes the government, but it is more, embracing civil society at large and including the principles by which civil society is distinguished from government. Thus, for instance, it should be clear from the model that, although an effective representative government may approximate a well-founded constitutional polity, it is only an approximation and there is much more to public affairs than the activity of government. Likewise for the other divisions. | | | I. THE WORLD [Human rights; open society] | | | | | | | | | II. THE PEOPLE [Civic life; political community] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | .

THE GOVERNMENT [Public policy; | | | | | | | | participation] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Contract with Gov't| | | | | | | | | | | | | (Distinction between governmental and | | | | | | non-governmental public affairs -- | | | | | | civil society | | | | | |Constitution-Making| | | | | | | | | (Distinction between public and private) | | | | | | | |The Social Compact| | | | | (Distinction between humanitarian and political) | || V. THE CITIZEN [Relations with: (a) the World; (b) the People as a whole; (c) the Polity; (d) the Government; (e) other individual citizens] Back to Center for Civic Education home page Send comments regarding this page to.