Bridging the Participation Gap with Government-sponsored Neighborhood Development Programs

Can Civic Skills be Taught

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6156560
AutoresKatsuo A Nishikawa (Trinity University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2012
Volumen4
Número2
Páginas63-87
Fecha de publicación2012-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Politics in Latin America (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1868-4890 • E-ISSN: 1866-802X
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1866802x1200400203
OpenAlexW2138437343
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas60

I argue that innovative development programs that require citizen participation in the production of public goods can have unexpected benefits for individuals’ dispositions toward democracy. In particular, I explore the effect of taking part in state-sponsored neighborhood development programs – direct-democracy type programs that require individuals to organize within their community as a precondition for state help – on participant dispositions toward democracy and willingness to take part in politics. To test this hypothesis, I use original survey data collected in the Mexican state of Baja California. To measure the effect of participation in neighborhood development programs, I conduct a quasi experiment via propensity score matching. I find robust evidence suggesting that participating in such programs correlates with higher levels of political participation, a better sense of community, more positive retrospective evaluations of the economy (according to both pocketbook and sociotropic measures), and overall higher support for the government

Bridging (networking · Democracy · Economic growth · Economics · Government (linguistics · Local government · Matching (statistics · Microeconomics · Political science · Politics · Propensity score matching · Public economics · Public good · Public relations · Sociology · State (computer science · Survey data collection · Test (biology · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research · Social Capital and Networks