The editors of the eJournal of Public Affairs areseeking submissions for a special edition focused on “Participatory Approaches to Strengthening Democracy.” The special edition will feature submissions from both community practitioners and scholars, with the goal of integrating lessons learned from community-based practice into what is known in the academic literature.
Submissions should explore collaborative approaches to strengthening democracy. Possible topics could include coalition and movement-building; participatory approaches to policy advocacy; youth leadership development and civic engagement; and community based participatory research, to name just a few. Submissions can take multiple formats, from scholarly articles, essays, and reports to videos and multimedia formats. Collaborations with students are welcome as well.
The deadline to submit is February 1, 2021, though earlier submissions are appreciated. Participatory Approaches to Strengthening Democratic Institutions
Guest Editors:
Mike Stout, Ph.D., George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Family and Community Policy and Co-Director of the Center for Public Life at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa michael.stout@okstate.edu
Tami L. Moore, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Higher Education and Student Affairs, and Co-Director of the Center for Public Life at Oklahoma State University – Tulsa
Jabar Shumate, Executive Director, MetCares Foundation, Tulsa, OK
Much has been made of the erosion of democratic norms and institutions in recent years. As Levitsky and Ziblatt (2018) note, the norms of temperance and forbearance that have upheld democratic institutions in the United States since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period have been eroding since the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s. The erosion of the norms and folkways that have historically guided America’s institutions has potentially had devastating effects on people’s perceptions of democracy as an ideal form of government.
Civic engagement practitioner-scholar Nadinne Cruz has argued that only a very small portion of the knowledge and experience necessary to address most issues facing local communities will be found within universities, or received from expert scholars. In order to realize the power of community-driven processes for addressing local social issues, present and future generations of scholars as well as local residents and community leaders must have opportunities to practice participatory approaches to lifting up community knowledge and leveraging academic research to advance systemic change. Often, the scholarship about community-driven decision making and developing young civic leaders is separated into distinct academic fields of study.
This special issue of the e-Journal of Public Affairs aims to bring contributions from distinct fields of study into one scholarly conversation integrating what is known in the academic literature into lessons learned from community-based practice.
Submission topics:
For this special issue of the eJournal of Public Affairs, the editors invite submissions from scholars and practitioners exploring participatory approaches to strengthening democracy, including but not limited to:
- community based participatory research (CBPR),
- student civic education/engagement initiatives
- youth leadership development and civic engagement
- deliberative dialogue and action,
- participatory budgeting,
- deliberative polling,
- participatory approaches to policy advocacy,
- deliberative forums,
- coalition-building and movement-building.
Submissions that focus on equity- and trauma-informed approaches are especially encouraged. Pieces examining student civic education/engagement initiatives sponsored by K-16 education institutions, as well as youth civic leadership development initiatives, have a place in this special issue as well. Manuscripts including community partners and/or students and youth as co-authors will also be welcome. In addition to articles, the editors will also consider for publication reports, descriptive essays, videos, interviews, photo essays, multimedia, that showcase innovative or exemplary projects that speak to the theme of the special issue.
Submission Information:
Deadline to submit: February 1, 2021(earlier submissions appreciated). The target publication date for this issue of the eJournal is July 2021.
All submissions must follow the format outlined on the eJournal website: http://www.ejournalofpublicaffairs.org/submityourmaterial/.
For more information, visit eJournal.missouristate.edu or e-mail: eJournalPA@MissouriState.edu.