Things fall apart

solidarity without proximity, civic renewal without economic renewal, and democracy without participation.

Three major explanations have emerged for the decline in local civic engagement in the US in recent decades: eroding social capital, the nationalization of American life, and the decline of local newspapers. Social capital—the relationships and trust that promote civic engagement—has decayed as modern life has become more individualized and less... See more

Our economic system determines value and worth based upon quantities (usually monetary) rather than qualities (such as health of ecosystems and quality of life). Because economics is a highly abstract and decontextualized discipline it is unable to anticipate unpredictable systemic events such as economic breakdowns, or acknowledge the ecological... See more

in a 1978 paper, sociologist Elise Boulding argued that society was suffering from a type of “temporal exhaustion in which...one is mentally out of breath all the time from dealing with the present, there is no energy left for imaging the future.” And, little time left to reflect upon and understand the past.

Without spaces that cultivate belonging and a shared sense of purpose, why do we expect anything other than high rates of loneliness, polarization, and attacks on our Capital building?

Americans used to live within “place-based networks” of clubs, churches, schools, commerce, and recreation that overlapped, wrapping individuals in social support. Local networks protected individuals from isolation and loneliness.

Those networks have largely disappeared, replaced by networks based outside the local community. We shop and interact... See more

the creeping professionalization of civic life has shifted the “everyday democracy” responsibilities of community membership and participation to the domain of nonprofit management. As credentialed managers assume the roles once held by ordinary citizens and neighbors, formal programs take the place of informal groups and activities, and... See more

Moreover, for those on modest and low incomes, the imposition of austerity policies from 2010 has meant that residents continue to experience lowering standards of living due to the considerable scaling back of essential programmes, services and support that was hitherto provided by councils. [4] In the context of this inequality, cash-strapped... See more