NCoC: Social Capital

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Social Capital

The most powerful force in American democracy is the connection among citizens. NCoC aims to understand how socio-economic and demographic factors, time spent with family, friends, and neighbors, and elements of trust and connectedness affect the process of civic engagement.

NCoC believes to address community issues and challenges in any area, research must be collected, discussion must occur, and solutions must be proposed. Here, you can see research, discussion, and solutions associated with social capital. This is meant to help explain and animate that focus area, as well as facilitate the process of moving from information to action within it.

Social Capital Issues:Research | Discussions | Solutions

Social Capital Research

Title	Date	Type
"Citizen-Centered" EngagementDiscussing and ActingOur most active citizens both attend public meetings on community issues and work with other people directly on public problems.	Sep 17th, 2007	civic health index
“Lonely Nation”: People Are Considerably Less Connected To Family And FriendsSigns of Civic DeclineMore than one-fourth of American households (29.8 million of them) consist of just one person, compared with less than one-fifth of American households (13.9 million) in 1975.	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
2008 Civic Health Index: Sustaining civic engagement beyond Election DayThe National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) today released their 2008 civic report called “America’s Civic Health Index: Beyond the Vote”. [True confessions: the Saguaro Seminar was ...	September 22, 2008	blog
A Call for Civic EducationVirginia Civic Health Index 2010	November 8, 2010	civic health index
A Closer Look: Great Consistency- Across Income, Education, Ethnicity- in Decreased ParticipationCalifornia 2009 Civic Health Index	November 24, 2009	civic health index
Access to Information and Civic EngagementMissouri Civic Health Index 2010	October 26, 2010	civic health index
ACTIONS THAT BUILD COMMUNITYArizona Civic Health Index 2010	September 23, 2010	civic health index
ACTIONS THAT INFLUENCE GOVERNMENTArizona Civic Health Index 2010	September 23, 2010	civic health index
African Americans are EnergizedThe 2008 America’s Civic Health index survey finds African Americans more engaged in almost every respect than the population as a whole.	Sep 22nd, 2008	civic health index
Americans are Turning Inward and Cutting Back Civic Engagement in Tough Economic TimesThe Economic Downturn is Reshaping Civic Engagement66% said that people are responding to the current economic downturn by looking out for themselves, while only 19% said people around them are responding to the recession by helping each other more.	August 27, 2009	civic health index

Social Capital Discussions and Commentary

Title	Date	Type
An Evolving RelationshipExecutive Branch Approaches to Civic Engagement and PhilanthropyA new white paper from Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement outlines Executive Branch approaches to civic engagement and Philanthropy. “An Evolving Relationship” provides a broad overview ...	May 17, 2010	publication
Beyond the VoteAmericans turned out in force for the 2008 Presidential Election with over 133 million ballots cast. Voters were heeding the call for change, but will citizens continue to be involved beyond Election Day? ...	November 5, 2008	video
Can Facebook Replace Face-to-Face? The 2008 National Conference on Citizenship raised this provocative question with Sean Parker, Founding President of Facebook and Bill Galston of the Brookings Institute. Parker and Galston discussed, ...	November 14, 2008	video
Can the United States Remain United?Some have said that America’s dynamic is beginning to shift, as communities become more homogenized and the nation becomes more fragmented than ever before. This was a central point of discussion ...	June 23, 2011	event reflection
Capes + Masks + Tasers = Today’s Neighborhood Watch?The role of a “Citizen Superhero” in fighting crimeHollywood has long been obsessed with superheroes but now sometimes-caped crusaders are meeting us in real life to take on crime in communities. Have neighborhood watch participants evolved into Citizen ...	February 10, 2011	discussion
Civic Engagement and Employment: NCoC Continues the Conversationby Kristi Tate, Director of Community Strategies, NCoC	June 13, 2012	discussion
Civic Engagement and Recent Immigrant Communities“Civic Engagement and Recent Immigrant Communities,” a new guide developed by the National League of Cities, presents local officials with the first steps and directions for efforts toward ...	August 18, 2010	discussion
Civic Health in Hard TimesA 2009 NCoC PanelThis panel at the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship explored the impact of the economic crisis on the civic health of the states, using the 2009 America’s Civic Health Index findings.	September 25, 2009	video
Closing the College Completion GapA Guide for Faith CommunitiesA degree beyond high school has become an essential element of opportunity in America and is a proven pathway out of poverty. However, the majority of our nation's young people, especially low-income ...	November 1, 2010	discussion
Creating Spaces for ChangeWorking Toward a “Story of Now” in Civic EngagementCreating Spaces for Change: Working Toward a ”Story of Now” in Civic Engagement , a new report from the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is an attempt to describe ...	April 23, 2010	publication

Social Capital Solutions

Title	Date	Type
Changing the Status QuoIntentional Succession Planning Through Leadership DevelopmentMany think of succession planning as a one-time process that only occurs when an organization considers how it will continue to thrive after a senior leader moves on. The 2010 American Express NGen Fellows ...	November 3, 2011	publication
Closing the College Completion GapA Guide for Faith CommunitiesA degree beyond high school has become an essential element of opportunity in America and is a proven pathway out of poverty. However, the majority of our nation's young people, especially low-income ...	November 1, 2010	discussion
Providing Authentic Opportunities for Youth Engagement in Local Governmentby Leon AndrewsWhat makes youth civic engagement “authentic?” How can cities move beyond token levels of youth participation in local decision-making toward efforts that truly prepare and empower youth to ...	September 1, 2010	discussion
Civic Engagement and Recent Immigrant Communities“Civic Engagement and Recent Immigrant Communities,” a new guide developed by the National League of Cities, presents local officials with the first steps and directions for efforts toward ...	August 18, 2010	discussion
Creating Spaces for ChangeWorking Toward a “Story of Now” in Civic EngagementCreating Spaces for Change: Working Toward a ”Story of Now” in Civic Engagement , a new report from the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is an attempt to describe ...	April 23, 2010	publication
Funding and Fostering Local DemocracyWhat Philanthropy Should Know about the Emerging Field of Deliberation and Democratic GovernanceAs the philanthropic community grapples with the question of how to support innovative and effective forms of democratic governance, PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) has released a guide ...	May 19, 2009	publication

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My Six Month AnniversaryMay 2, 2013 Michigan Releases its 2012 Civic Health Index TodayApril 24, 2013 N.H. Ranks High in Civic Health, UNH Carsey Institute FindsApril 17, 2013

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