Institute for the Study of Civic Values

About the Institute

The Institute for the Study of Civic Values is a non-profit organization established in Philadelphia in 1973 to promote the fulfillment of America's historic civic ideals.

At a time when millions of Americans are struggling to identify the values that we share, the Institute for the Study of Civic Values believes that it is our civic values---the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights--that bring us together as a people.

The philosophy behind this mission was set forth with great clarity in 1902 by G.K. Chesterton in an important essay on "What Is America?"

For more than 20 years in Philadelphia, the Institute has conducted a wide range of seminars, workshops, and public forums aimed at applying America's civic values to contemporary issues and problems. In the process, we have helped thousands of people and grassroots organizations gain the knowledge and skills needed for effective participation in the community and politics. We have received significant support from government, the private sector, and a wide range of private contributors for these efforts.

Thanks to the Internet, we are extending our outreach throughout the country.

In October, 1996, O'Reilly and Associates published NetActivism: How Citizens Use the Internet, by ISCV President Ed Schwartz. This is a handbook for citizens who want to use the Internet as a tool for political empowerment. It also sets forth the philosophy of civic participation and neighborhood revitalization that has guided the Institute for more than 20 years.

. In October, 1996, the online journal, WebActive chose the Institute for the Study of Civic Values as its Site of the Week and Hotwired interviewed Institute President Ed Schwartz for its Netizen web page.

A profile of NetActivism from the Philadelphia Inquirer offers additional background on the book and its author.

You can purchase NetActivism for $13 directly from the Institute at 1218 Chestnut St., Rm. 702, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107. Make checks payable to the Institute for the Study of Civic Values

ISCV: Basic Principles

The Institute's work is guided by a philosophy of civic idealism embodied in the writings of Edward Schwartz, Wilson Carey McWilliams, Sheldon Wolin, John Schaar , Robert Bellah, William Sullivan, and Rosemary Bray. We believe that to address the serious problems facing America today, we need to rededicate ourselves to the following basic principles:

Civic Values--Civic Values are the ideals of freedom, equality, democracy, and justice embodied in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Whatever else we might believe, these are the basic values that we share as Americans. At the heart of the Institute's work is an ongoing effort to apply these principles to the major social, economic, and political problems facing the country.

Community--Community in America grows out of collective efforts to fulfill our shared civic ideals. The Institute has been a leader in developing both theory and practical strategies aimed at building community in America today.

Civic Literacy-- Civic literacy embodies the knowledge and skills that we need to participate effectively in the community and politics. The Institute has been a major innovator in the field of civic education, having sponsored a wide range of conferences, workshops, and seminars promoting civic and political participation.

Democracy--Democracy is government, "of the people, by the people, and for the people," that shapes the form and content of political action in America. The Institute has pioneered in devising new ways to make government accessible and accountable to ordinary citizens.

These are the basic principles that the Institute for the Study of Civic Values works to preserve.

The Civic Network

The Institute has been collaborating with the Center for Civic Networking to create an online Civic Network in America.

You can join this network by subscribing to one of our email lists:

Civic-Values--This list has sustained a powerful conversation on American values and politics among a wide range of people from all parts of the country and beyond. A basic description of civic-values is found on the Center for Civic Networking gopher. To get a feel for the ongoing dialogue on civic-values, browse through the civic-values archives.

If you wish to join this list, send a one-line message--subscribe civic-values to: majordomo@civic.net.

If you would like to keep up with the debate on civic-values, but don't want a pile of individual messages every day, you can subscribe to the civic-values-digest. The procedure is the same. Send a one line message--in this case, subscribe civic-values-digest to: majordomo@civic.net.

Build-Com--Those who are active in community organizations or work directly with them through service agencies and government can subscribe to a second ISCV list--"build-com"--devoted specifically to problems facing neighborhoods and communities throughout the country. To subscribe to this list, send this simple to message to us: join-buildcom@lyris.libertynet.org.

We will approve subscriptions to these lists promptly.

Building Community in America: ISCV Projects

Neighborhoods Online--This is an online resource center established to help community organizations make effective use of Internet resources to meet the needs of their neighborhoods. .

Building Community in the American Tradition--This is a discussion guide developed by the Institute for the Study of Civic Values for use by neighborhood leaders and activists throughout the United States. Here, we apply the principles of the Preamble to the Constitution to the problem of building community in America today. This is our contribution to the National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities

Social Contract Project--This project represents an entirely new approach to comprehensive community planning. Through it, we help neighborhood organizations negotiate explicit social contracts with government and business that define shared goals for community improvement and economic opportunity.

The Institute is experimenting with new ways to help low-income individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency. We are also monitoring the progress of welfare reform and family support througout the country. In our view, there is no greater priority for us in fulfilfing the promise of America for every citizen.

The following are our major community and online initiatives in this area:

Community Opportunity Program--This project helps neighborhood groups promote economic opportunity and self-sufficiency for the poor through adult literacy and community service internships with non-profit groups.

Welfare Reform Online--This is an online resource guide examining how the welfare reform bill passed by the 104th Congress and signed by President Clinton is affecting America's communities. How is the program being implemented? What challenges does it pose to America's civic values? Here you can get background and keep up with new developments in this area.

The Internet Village: Families, Children, and Education--This is an online resource guide exploring issues affecting children and families in America. Hillary Clinton and Robert Dole debated whether it "takes a village to raise a child" during the 1996 Presidential campaign. These are resources available online that can help communities and families understand this important debate and explore how best to meet the needs of our children.

Additional Books and Publications

The scholars associated with the Institute have written some of the most important works of political and social theory over the past thirty years. Thanks to a relationship with Amazon Books, ISCV now makes it possible for you to order them from our web site. For those concerned about the security of making purchases via the Internet, Amazon's statement on Internet security is worth reading.

Beyond these books from people directly associated with the Institute, we are also pleased to call your attention to books that reflect America's Legacy of Civic Idealism.

The Politics of Disappointment , by Institute Vice-President Wilson Carey McWilliams and published by Chatham House --This is a series of essays analyzing each of the past Presidential elections since 1976. It is a brilliant chronicle of America's growing disenchantment with politics, about which Professor McWilliams has written for more than 30 years.

Habits of the Heart and The Good Society, Robert Bellah, Richard Madsen, William Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton, published, respectively, by Harper & Row and Knopf --These pioneering books offer a trenchant critique of individualism as it affects both American values and institutions and call for a revival of civic idealism as a more viable public philosophy for America. Habits of the Heart includes a profile of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values.

The Idea of Fraternity America, Wilson Carey McWilliams, (University of California Press)--Published in 1973, this offers a penetrating analysis of the ideals of "community" and "fraternity" as they have evolved over the course of American history.

Legitimacy in the Modern State, John Schaar, Transaction Books--Schaar's essays on patriotism, authority, and equality remain among the most insightful and incisive commentaries available, and we continue to draw on them in Institute programs.

Reconstructing Public Philosophy (University of California Press), and Work and Integrity: The Crisis and Promise of Professionalism in America (Harpercollins) by William M. Sullivan--William Sullivan's call for a new civic vision in these books offers a cogent formulation of public philosophy that shapes the work of the Institute as well.

The Presence of the Past: Essays on the State and the Constitution (Johns Hopkins Press) and Politics and Vision, (Little-Brown), by Sheldon Wolin--Are among the most important studies of political vision in the literature. The Present and the Past takes a fresh look at America's civic values. Politics and Vision traces "the idea of the political" from classic political theory to the modern "age of organization" and remains the single most important analysis of civic idealism published over the past fifty years.

Martin Luther King by Rosemary L. Bray; Illustrated, Malcah Zeldis (Greenwillow)--A vivid portrait for young people of Martin Luther King and his fight for human rights. It's a biography that is inspiring both to read and to look at, with full-color gouache illustrations.

Searching for Information

Alta Vista: The Largest Web Index-By far the best search engine, Digital's Alta Vista searches the text of web sites as well as titles. Try "Civic Values".

Magellan-A search engine that leads you to specific sites. Less inclusive, but can be faster if you know what you're trying to find.