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Democratic Participation in Rural Tanzania and Zambia: The Impact of Civic Education

Satu Riutta
Democratic Participation in Rural Tanzania and Zambia: The Impact of Civic Education
ISBN: 978-1-935049-14-2
$62.00
ISBN: 978-1-62637-084-5
$62.00
2009/225 pages/LC: 2009009410
A FirstForumPress Book
"A model of how research should be conducted—driven by a profoundly important and broadly applicable puzzle, grounded in current theoretical and policy debates, and rich in original empirical evidence.... This study will stand beside other pioneering works in the field of democratization and political participation."—William M. Downs, Georgia State University

DESCRIPTION

Satu Riutta asks whether civic education initiatives—to which huge sums of donor funds and effort are devoted annually—actually promote political participation among the rural poor in nascent democracies. Does raising awareness about citizen rights and responsibilities increase participation? Are the effects of civic education greatest on collective or individual forms of participation?  Do women respond differently than men? Drawing on a rich set of original data from villages in Tanzania and Zambia, Riutta casts new light on both the empowering effects and the limitations of civic education in the context of participatory development and democratization.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Satu Riutta is institutional research associate at Oxford College of Emory University.

CONTENTS

  • Why Civic Education Matters.
  • Understanding the Context: Tanzania and Zambia.
  • The Effects of Civic Education on Cognition.
  • Civic Education and Participation.
  • Conclusion.