Description: "How the everyday habits and attitudes of ordinary liberals and conservatives shape the health of American democracy. In Everyday Democracy, Jeffrey M. Berry, James M. Glaser, and Deborah J. Schildkraut study Americans' views of several manifestations of "everyday democracy," which they define as the attitudes, behaviors, and processes that people experience in daily life and their routine considerations of politics and community. Examples include engaging in dialogue with political opponents and giving politicians license to compromise. Ordinary political moments like these constitute much of politics, and they can lay the foundation that shapes if, when, and how crisis moments unfold. Paying particular attention to the role of ideology in shaping how Americans emulate daily democratic ideals, this book considers such questions as: How do liberals and conservatives support different aspects of democratic practice, and are there ideological asymmetries between the two groups? If and when asymmetries emerge, what factors might explain them? The authors consider what their findings mean for the health of American democracy broadly"-- Provided by publisher.
Brief description: Deborah J. Schildkraut is the John Richard Skuse, Class Of 1941, Professor of Political Science at Tufts University. Her most recent book is States of Belonging: Immigration Policies, Attitudes, and Inclusion.
Review Quotes: "Berry, Glaser, and Schildkraut offer a nuanced and data-rich assessment of where our democracy stands today. Their findings provide a warning as well as hope for the future--a future where citizens on both sides of the fence talk to each other and are willing to compromise while still defending our most important ideals."--Beth L. Leech Rutgers University