Democracy as Problem Solving: Civic Capacity in Communities Across the Globe

Case studies from around the world and theoretical discussion show how the capacity to act collectively on local problems can be developed, strengthening democracy while changing social and economic outcomes.

Xavier de Souza Briggs is Associate Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning at MIT. He has worked as a community planner and senior urban policy official. A faculty research fellow of Harvard's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, he is also the founder of The Community Problem-Solving Project @ MIT. His book The Geography of Opportunity: Race and Housing Choice in Metropolitan America received a Paul Davidoff Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.