Self-Governance in Communities and Families

Citizens have lost confidence in their public institutions: social welfare, school, and healthcare programs. This book is about reconnecting citizens to their social institutions and reinvigorating these bodies so they are more effective. The central premise is that communities and families can be strengthened when everyone takes responsibility for themselves and works in partnership with others to restore social structures.

We are entering the 21st century in a period of great uncertainty and change. People are wary of government and have lost confidence in social institutions—from social welfare and schools to healthcare programs. That loss of confidence has undermined the community and family life that is the very foundation of our society. Self-Governance in Communities and Families shows how individuals can reconnect to and revitalize their social institutions so that they are effective in serving the needs of all.

Gary Nelson identifies the existing social models we are moving away from and explores the new, emerging pattern of relationships we are shifting to in our social institutions. He reveals why open dialogue and partnerships between people and their social institutions are essential to the well-being of families and thriving communities. He describes why social regeneration is best pursued through these partnerships, with people and stakeholders within communities taking positive action to develop and protect the well-being of their families and the health of their communities. With numerous examples and anecdotes, Nelson illustrates the values, beliefs, and principles that underlie how we learn and make decisions in a self-governing democratic culture. He provides tips for shared learning and accountability, ownership and governance, and the creation of a culture of self-governance. And he offers advice on how to maintain an ongoing engagement and partnership between the public and its social institutions.

Communities and families can be strengthened when each of us takes responsibility for ourselves and works in partnership with others to restore our social institutions. Self-Governance in Communities and Families sets forth clear, doable strategies for fostering both responsibility and ownership through dialogue and collaboration between public and private sectors.

Nelson-Asso director for the Jordan Institute for Families at the Univ of North Carolina, Chapel Hill