Overview
The Carsey Institute seeks to understand the civic health of communities and how citizens are working together and with public officials to address public problems. We are also interested in understanding why some communities have higher levels of civic engagement and social capital and what motives and incentives help induce personal civic engagement. In addition, our research seeks to understand civic health in the context of demographic trends. Our civic engagement research will help building understanding by making civic data and analysis available to policy makers, civic leaders, researchers, media, and the general public.
Publications
National
- Religion, Politics, and the Environment in Rural America (Dillon and Henly, 2008, Issue Brief No. 3)
- Values and Religion in Rural America (Dillon and Savage, 2006, Issue Brief No. 1)
- Changing Church in the South (Ardery, 2006, Essays on Rural America)
- Rural Voting in the 2004 Election (Hamilton, 2006, Fact Sheet No. 2)
New England
- Demographic Trends in the Manchester-Nashua Metropolitain Area (Johnson and Macieski, 2009, New England Issue Brief No. 16)
- Many New Voters Make the Granite State One to Watch in November (Johnson, Scala, and Smith, 2008, New England Issue Brief No. 9)
- New Faces at the Polls for New Hampshire Presidential Primary (Johnson, 2007, New England Fact Sheet No. 2)
Selected current projects
The Democracy Imperative
Started in 2007, the Democracy Imperative is a national network of multidisciplinary scholars, campus leaders, and civic leaders in the fields of democratic dialogue, public deliberation, and democracy-building. TDI’s mission is to strengthen public life and advance deliberative democracy in and through higher education. To understand more about TDI and its work, read its framing paper and visit its Web site.
America's Civic Health Index
The Carsey Institute is participating in a national study to examine America’s civic health. Led by the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), America’s Civic Health Index is an annual study that measures a wide variety of civic indicators, such as community involvement and helping others. New Hampshire is one of six states partnering with NCoC to produce a state-specific report that examines the civic health in the Granite State. Read the New Hampshire Civic Health Index 2009 report.
See all works in progress
Useful Web site resources
National Conference on Citizenship
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
Deliberative Democracy Consortium