Foundations of Democracy: Tocqueville on the Art of Association in America's Federal Democracy

Abstract

"A rich civic culture is generally correlated with a properly functioning democracy, but there is surprisingly little theoretical discussion of how and why voluntarism makes democracy 'work.' Self-reliance can invite insularity along with independence. Parochialism and local tyranny may typify communal routines as surely as the openness, innovation, and reciprocity for which they are lauded. Not all voluntary societies act in socially responsible ways; not all examples of volunteerism bespeak the virtues of self-government."