DO-IT-YOURSELF DEMOCRACY z DO-IT-YOURSELF DEMOCRACY z THE RISE OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT INDUSTRY Caroline W. Lee 1 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 © Oxford University Press 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lee, Caroline W. Do-it-yourself democracy : the rise of the public engagement industry / Caroline W. Lee. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–19–998726–9 (hardback) 1. Political participation—United States. 2. Social action—United States. 3. Democracy—United States. I. Title. JK1764.L425 2015 323'.0420973—dc23 2014017049 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Contents z Acknowledgments vii Introduction: Democracy 2.0? 1 Part I: the PublIC engagement r enaIssanCe 1. Democracy in Miniature 11 2. The Idealists behind the Curtain 31 Part II: ProCess e vangelIsts: sPreadIng the gosPel of delIberatIon 3. Challenging Enemy Institutions 63 4. Walking Our Talk 96 Part III: CIvIC engagement as a management tool 5. The Arts and Crafts of Real Engagement 123 6. Activating Empathetic Citizens 150 v vi Contents Part Iv: the sPIr It of delIberatIve CaPItalIsm 7. Sharing the Pain: The Lessons Deliberation Teaches 189 Conclusion: Down Market Democracy and the Politics of Hope 223 Postscript: Notes on Data and Methods 232 Notes 241 References 257 Index 279 aCknowledgments z this projeCt has been many years in the making, and was less DIY than all hands on deck! First, my greatest debt is to the members of the public engagement community who generously shared their time, humor, passions, and frustrations with me. I hope this book will promote the deep discussions they value. I am thrilled to have worked with collaborators Elizabeth Long Lingo, Michael McQuarrie, Francesca Polletta, and Edward Walker on proj- ects related to this book, and with my EXCEL Scholars Kelly McNulty, Zachary Romano, and Sarah Shaffer. My wonderful colleagues in Lafayette College's Department contributed in a number of ways. This research was supported by grants from the Academic Research Committee and the EXCEL Scholars Program of Lafayette College. Brian Balogh and the Miller Center’s Democracy and Governance Studies Program at UVA have provided ongoing support and connec- tions to the American political development community. I was also the recipient of generous writer-in-residence grants from Bing Guckenberger and Sasha Lehman. I feel very lucky to have so many places to call home. Portions of this research are published in Poetics, the Journal of Public Deliberation, Socio-Economic Review, Organization Studies, and The Sociological Quarterly. The editors of those journals, anonymous vii viii aCknowledgments reviewers, discussants and conference goers shared insights and criti- cisms that have made this a much better project. Bill Hoynes got me started on this path. David Meyer and Robert Fishman shaped this project from the very beginning. Too many dear friends, colleagues and mentors to list here have taught and supported me all along the way. I am so grateful to all of them and hope to recip- rocate as best I can. Jean Okie and the Cobble Hill People’s Party helped me to the finish line. Many thanks to James Cook and the team at Oxford University Press. Finally, big hugs to my family, my friends, and to Mike and Molly Nees, with love and affection. DO-IT-YOURSELF DEMOCRACY z