Citizenship and the Public Good

Recent polls suggest that American citizens have become increasingly concerned about their leaders and the efficacy of their institutions. At the end of 2010, 72 percent of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with national conditions. Sixty percent said they were disenchanted with partisan politics and wanted to see a renewed spirit of cooperation among their leaders. Most Americans seek a more coherent, collaborative, national conversation in which individual interests can be aligned with the greater good.

The American Academy will investigate the civic institutions that are critical for inspiring and modeling good citizenship. Through in-depth analyses of the government, the courts, the media, the military, corporations, and the education system, the Academy will develop a better understanding of the role of these institutions in the American democratic system and develop proposals to increase civic participation and public confidence in American leaders and institutions. The findings will serve as the basis for publications, national conferences and workshops, and a public outreach campaign aimed to encourage a renewed emphasis on stewarding American democracy.

Preliminary list of advisors include Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. (Bechtel Corporation), David Brooks (The New York Times), Ken Burns (Florentine Films), Gerald Early (Washington University, St. Louis), Linda Greenhouse (Yale Law School), John L. Hennessy (Stanford University), David M. Kennedy (Stanford University), Margaret H. Marshall (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court), Steven E. Miller (Harvard University), Norman J. Ornstein (American Enterprise Institute), Scott Sagan (Stanford University), Richard Sylla (New York University), and Diane P. Wood (United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit).

Social Policy and American Institutions