Revisiting Elinor Ostrom's Presidential Address

• In Event: Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference III: Political Theorists on Civic Education

Abstract

In her 1997 APSA presidential address, Ostrom called for civic education that was less about the nation-state and more about sharing the practical knowledge necessary to form and maintain voluntary associations. For her, “bringing political science in” meant tapping political scientists’ expertise in the Tocquevillian “arts of association.” She spoke at a time of concern about declining social capital and confidence--or even complacency--about the US constitutional order. Today, democracy appears at risk, and there is renewed attention to civic education about (and in service to) the nation-state, as epitomized by the recent Educating for American Democracy project. But is Ostrom’s vision still relevant?

Author

• Peter Levine, Tufts University