KIRLIN, John <br/><br/>
Strengthening effective government-citizen connections through greater civic engagement 

 -  September 2002 
<br/><br/> Citizens are more trusting of government since the terrorism attacks of September 11, 2001, but their civic behaviors are little changed. One reason is that they mostly have been asked for monetary gifts to fund disaster relief and to serve others through existing nonprofit organizations. Available theoretical and empirical anlyses suggest the three factors of motivation, skills,, and network connections contribute to increased civic engagement, which is defined by behaviors such as seeking to persuade others to join in mobilizing commitment and resources to address a collective problem. Responses to 9/11 have not addressed these three factors. Increased civil engagement strengthens democracy and can contributew to the development of public judment, which is critical to sustaining support of efforts to thwart terrorism. Sucess in any effort to increase civic engagement requires strategies and actions by public officials