Commentary: The Failure of Social Education or Just Going down the Road of Post-Democratic Politics?

Autor/in	Menezes, Isabel
Titel	Commentary: The Failure of Social Education or Just Going down the Road of Post-Democratic Politics?
Quelle	In: Journal of Social Science Education, 16 (2017) 1, S.17-20 (4 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1618-5293
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Citizenship Education; Democracy; Citizen Participation; Foreign Countries; Political Power; Political Issues; Politics of Education; Political Influences; Europe; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Citizenship; Education; Politische Bildung; Politische Erziehung; Staatsbürgerliche Erziehung; Demokratie; 'Citizen participation; Citizens'' participation'; Bürgerbeteiligung; Ausland; Politische Macht; Politischer Faktor; Educational policy; Bildungspolitik; Political influence; Politischer Einfluss; Europa; USA
Abstract	The paper "American democracy is distress: The failure of social education" presents several "symptoms of democracy's dysfunction in the United States". These include the extreme reliance on campaign contributions, giving the donors--economic elites and groups representing business, frequently operating at a transnational level--an excessive power in determining government policy in areas such as the environment, media or fiscal regulations, as profusely exemplified in the paper. At the same time, policies impose restrictions on citizens' rights in areas such as voting, healthcare or employment. In this sense, the power gap between citizens and economic elites in the form of a global capital is growing and, as it goes undisputed and unchallenged, menaces the core of democracy itself. This is a paper worth reading. Not only does it present an argument--and this is something to be praised and cherished--but it also sustains its argument on a sound and systematic analysis of documents and research. As such, this is not a trivial paper. The data, analysis and argument the author develops call for our attention and challenges us to reflect on whether and how the situation described for the US resonates with the situation of those currently living in Europe. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Journal of Social Science Education. Bielefeld University Faculty of Sociology, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany. Tel: +49-521-106-3985; Fax: +49-521-106-153986; e-mail: info@jsse.org; Web site: http://jsse.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/index.php/jsse
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01