AND THEN THERE IS LAW-ABIDING BEHAVIOR

[Note:  This posting, the previous several postings, and at least the one to follow are a restatement of what has been addressed previously in this blog.  Some of the sentences to come have been provided before but the concern is that other information has been discovered and an update seems appropriate.  The blog has not changed the overall message – that civics education is seriously deficient – but some of the evidence supporting that message needs updating.]

In this review, reporting on the effectiveness of civics education in American classrooms, there is one last measure to consider:  rates of criminality.  Civics education, if successful, should lead to a populace that is noted for its law-abiding behavior.  One of this nation’s chief constitutional principles is justice under the rule of law.  Civics should promote obeying the law.

Yes, one should engage in determining what laws should be passed by our legislatures but, once passed, the laws should be obeyed.  One can cite instances when it is good and just to engage in civil disobedience on rare occasions but even then, such acts need to be justified and the participants need to be willing to accept the consequences of those acts including jail time.

The last posting addressed this issue in its description of extreme politics.  This blog argues that when injustices are the issue, then citizens are addressing the basic condition under which the partnership agreement, the Constitution, is being abused or threatened.  Then, and only then, are extreme politics in order.  But other than that, one should seek compromise and understand that being in a partnership, within the bounds of the foundational agreement, consists of give and take.  And that process should obey the ground rules; i.e., the law. 

Why anyone would disobey the law can be complicated.  Reasons can range from the level of severity of the offense – e.g., speeding a bit over the limit on an expressway might not be considered criminal behavior – to the economic realities in which an offender might find him/herself – being deprived of necessities can be a strong motivator.  Some might see these types of conditions as excuses; others see them as explanations.  Yet others might argue that citing these conditions are only rationalizations. 

Regardless, the point here is that by and large, one should obey the law.  But with any kind of factor one might think acceptable in justifying the breaking of the law, one should remember that these conditions generally exist everywhere.  Poverty, in many places much more extreme than here, exists everywhere.  Mental illness exists everywhere.  Dysfunctional families exist everywhere, and so on ...

Therefore, if one looks at comparative statistics about lawlessness among countries, the information should give one at least a sense of how well this nation lives by the axiom:  one should obey the law.  In turn, the information should also give one a sense of how well the nation’s schools are educating its populace in civics and civic behavior as they relate to this concern.

To start, the US has over 7.3 million people in prisons.  It has 5% of the world's population but has 25% of the world's prison population.[1]  Comparing the US to a nation with which it shares many cultural values, the United Kingdom has 150 out of 100,000 people in prison.  The US has 686 out of 100,000 people detained.[2]  

While many factors contribute to any comparison, such as a government's ability to prosecute its laws, its levels of contributing factors, such as poverty, or over prosecution and punishment for minor crimes – e.g., drug related prosecution – the US does not fare well in comparisons regarding criminality.  But one might point out, as the media has recently, that a lot of this incarceration is the result of over-zealous laws concerning drugs. 

One good bit of information on this front is a lowering crime rate.  For example, the rate of victims per 1,000 population has dropped in the US from 51.7 in 1979 to 15 in 2010.[3]  Yet before one celebrates, there are other relevant numbers. 

Another statistical site offers the following:  Total persons brought into formal contact with the police and/or criminal justice system, all crimes in 2011 (top ten nations)

United States         12,408,899 with a population of 322 million (38.58 per 1,000)

Germany     2,112,843 with a population of 81 million (26.08 per 1,000)

France                   1,172,547 with a population of 67 million (17.5 per 1,000)

Russian Fed.         1,041,340 with a population of 147 million (7.08 per 1,000)

Italy            900,870 with a population of 61 million (14.77 per 1,000)

Canada                 688,920 with a population of 36 million (19.14 per 1,000)

Chile           611,322 with a population of 18 million (33.96 per 1,000)

Poland                  521,942 with a population of 38 million (13.74 per 1,000)

Spain          377,965 with a population of 46 million (8.22 per 1,000)

Netherlands 372,305 with a population of 17 million (21.9 per 1,000)[4]

Whether one is looking at total numbers or rates, the US does not fare well when compared to other countries.  There is no reason to believe the intervening years – since 2011 – have meaningfully altered this listing.

One should keep in mind that the above listed countries vary in terms of reported freedom as opposed to repression.  Whether a nation is ruled by a liberal regime as opposed to an authoritarian regime is relevant to how levels of criminality are measured, and policing is administered.  So, while these other countries might or might not have as extensive a list of drug laws, the US beats them all in terms of its crime rate.

The closest country in terms of rate is Chile.  Chile, a Latin-American country, exemplifies what Daniel Elazar describes as having a culture that harbors an anarchistic individualism.[5] This account can only speculate as to the explanatory value of such an observation.  This blog argues that the US started out with a more federalist sense of individualism, one that “recognized the subtle bonds of partnership linking individuals even as they preserve their individual integrities...”[6] 

It also argues that the US, especially since World War II, has abandoned a federalist view, at least as a prominent perspective of governance and politics, and has shifted to a natural rights view.  This latter construct is noted for its individualism.  These numbers are but one indicator of how far that shift has made itself known.

The next posting will end this updating series of postings on the effectiveness of the nation's current efforts in civics education.

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[1] “Study:  7.3 Million in U. S. Prison System in ’07,” CNN news, March 2, 2009, accessed May 15, 2019, http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/02/record.prison.population/.

[2] Roy Walmsley, “World Prison List,” World Prison Brief, n. d., accessed May 16, 2019, http://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/world_prison_population_list_11th_edition_0.pdf .

[3] “Crime Rates in US over Time,” Google Search, n. d., accessed May 16, 2019, https://www.google.com/search?q=crime+rates+in+US+over+time&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=514&tbm=isch&imgil=P4g2P-obB-jlRM%253A%253BcPni19546Kal8M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.gallup.com%25252Fpoll%25252F150464%25252Famericans-believe-crime-worsening.aspx&source=iu&pf=m&fir=P4g2P-obB-jlRM%253A%252CcPni19546Kal8M%252C_&usg=__zxIEm18APlIHiED8D3gsYadxZL4%3D&ved=0CCcQyjdqFQoTCJeJut67-ccCFcY8PgodmAwJGA&ei=NUj4VdeaD8b5-AGYmaTAAQ#imgrc=P4g2P-obB-jlRM%3A&usg=__zxIEm18APlIHiED8D3gsYadxZL4%3D .  Of course, this reflects reported crime events.  Whether people in general are more prone to report crime is an interesting question.  I do not know the answer to that question.  There is an array of statistical information readily available supporting this overall picture of a falling crime rate.  Such information in form of charts and other statistical information can be seen by accessing Google Search, crime, charts and statistics.

[4] “Top Ten Countries with Highest Reported Crime Rates,” Maps of the World, n. d., accessed May 16, 2019, www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-highest-reported-crime-rates.html .

[5] Daniel J. Elazar, “How Federal Is the Constitution? Thoroughly,” in a booklet of readings, Readings for Classes Taught by Professor Elazar, prepared for a National Endowment for the Humanities Institute (conducted in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 1994), 1-30.

[6] Ibid., 10-11.

POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE AND CIVIC CIVILITY

[Note:  This posting, the previous several postings, and at least the one to follow are a restatement of what has been addressed previously in this blog.  Some of the sentences to come have been provided before but the concern is that other information has been discovered and an update seems appropriate.  The blog has not changed the overall message – that civics education is seriously deficient – but some of the evidence supporting that message needs updating.]

With the speculative wandering of the last posting stated, next a more targeted view is offered.  This posting combines two measures of how effective our civics instruction is.  The two are levels of political knowledge and social capital.  This blog finds it useful to again revisit this factor, political knowledge. 

Earlier, this blog reported on the findings of the National Association of Secretaries of State and its conclusion that young people “lack any real understanding of citizenship…information and understanding about the democratic process…and information about candidates and political parties.”[1]  But there are different spins among academic findings regarding the level of knowledge and engagement that American citizens, including the young, have.  One finds a good dose of nuance in what is reported.

For example, Robert D. Putnam found in his review of relevant research that except for voting, American rates of political engagement are high compared to other democracies.[2]  Even in terms of how much people know about politics, both in terms of information and skills, the National Center of Educational Statistics – the IEA study – found US levels among adolescents were high when compared to twenty-seven other nations.[3]

Globally, Ronald Inglehart found increased levels of participation in political activities by those who live in industrial and post-industrial societies.[4]  While earlier cited research studies are more recent – these studies offering this nuance spin have some age to them – one should keep their message in mind.  For one thing, the nature of involvement changes as is the case with the use of social media.  Also, political ideologies around the world view engagement very differently and many do not even hold it up as desirable.

It has also changed from those type of activities this writer was taught when he was in civics and government classes at school.  For example, the earlier cited writer, Charles Euchner, argues that American participation in politics has become, in many instances, unconventional.  Reminding the reader, he names this form of participation as “extraordinary politics.”

Euchner posits that traditional forms of political involvement, such as discussing politics with one’s neighbor, are disappearing.  Again, extraordinary politics are acts such as civil disobedience, demonstrations, boycotts, and creating or exhibiting subversive art and literature.  These activities can be very disruptive, and one can see the logical connection between extraordinary politics and civic incivility. 

An example was demonstrated by Cuban-Americans in Miami, Florida, back in the 1980s.  They mounted an organized car and truck caravan strategy in which they drove on the expressway at twenty miles an hour or slower to block traffic.  Their aim was to protest some government policy. 

These types of activities can be very divisive for a community.  In more recent years there have been “tea party” demonstrations and demonstrations over grand juries not indicting policeman for killing unarmed African-American men.  Many of these demonstrations were conducted in legitimate forms, yet some of them verged on disruptive behavior that at times promoted violence.  In the more extreme, they fall within what one can see as cases of civic incivility.  Why?  Because they tear at any likelihood of enhancing social capital.

One, of course, needs to be careful here.  Surely, many of the activities back in the 1960s and 1970s making up what later was considered the civil rights movement could easily be seen as falling under this rubric of extraordinary politics, yet, in retrospect, they were essential in the fight against bigotry, Jim Crow laws, and other practices of discrimination.  As such, they were legitimate and useful to advance federalist values.  Falling short of passing judgement on any specific protest, the concern here is that there is a propensity to readily employ disruptive tactics.

On the other hand, Putnam also reports that a lot of political “involvement” has become a matter of writing checks – “checkbook” engagement.  A person shows his or her support by making donations to a political party or a lobbying group.  For example, many older Americans write checks to the American Association for Retired Persons.  The problem is that such engagement substitutes donations for the person-to-person quality of more traditional forms of participation. 

In addition, it hands over to professionals the actual planning and implementation of political action.  Putnam reports that between 1973-74 and 1993-94, there was a 25% decrease in traditional activities such as volunteer work for a political party, community involvement activities, petition signing, running for office, attending local meetings, serving local organizations, writing articles, serving as a club officer, membership in improving government groups, etc.[5]  This more closely mirrors findings reported earlier in this blog.

As alluded to earlier in this blog, participation relies on knowledge and, in turn, adds to knowledge; that is, there is a mutually enhancing link between political participation and political knowledge.  The two have a reciprocal relationship, each strengthening the other.  Therefore, there is an obvious educational result from people gaining the knowledge that accrues from the experiences of actual political work. 

One is engaged in a dicey exercise when gauging how knowledgeable US students are or how knowledgeable their adult counterparts are.  One can give knowledge tests, but one might shortchange what political knowledge a person has by “missing” that knowledge in the questions one asks. 

This can particularly apply to knowledge gained from political participation.  Therefore, any generalization over what Americans know or do not know is speculative, at best.  What often goes unreported are the types of knowledge that stem from more day to day experiences:  the type of knowledge obtained on the streets.

A meaningful look that attempts to see how much Americans know about current conditions was conducted in another Pew Research Center study in 2014.[6] It found the following:

(Each entry below includes:  paraphrased versions of the survey questions, the percent of respondents getting the questions correct, and the correct answer)

·        What is the federal minimum wage?  73% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer in 2014:  $7.25.

·        In what nation does ISIS control territory?  67% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer in 2014:  Syria.

·        Ukraine was a part of what political entity?  60% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer:  USSR.

·        What is Common Core?  49% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer:  national educational standards.

·        What is the source of North Dakota’s economic boom?  46% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer:  oil.

·        In what country is there an outbreak of Ebola?  46% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer in 2014:  Liberia.

·        What is the name of Israel’s prime minister?  38% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer in 2014:  Netanyahu.

·        What is the current unemployment rate?  33% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer in 2014:  circa 6%.

·        In which country do Shiites outnumber Sunnis?  29% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer:  Iran.

·        Who is the chairperson of the Federal Reserve (FED)?  24% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer in 2014:  Yellen.

·        In which budget line item does the federal government spend most funds?  20% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer:  Social Security.

·        What portion of the US population is below the poverty line?  20% of respondents got it correct.  The right answer in 2014:  15%.

Is this a good or not so good level of political knowledge?  Are the questions reflective of useful political knowledge or are they random concerns that a person engaged or interested in politics and government might know or not know?  Whether these are useful questions about the political world one can only speculate.  One can ascertain that the state of our current politics and how general political issues are discussed and argued about, these questions seem to be relevant, at least in how the media portray contemporary issues. 

The above numbers are interesting.  Particularly distressful are the results on the questions concerning the unemployment rate, FED chairperson, government spending, and poverty line.  These questions reflect or are related to how well the nation is/was doing.  One would suppose that such questions would have higher correct rates in a nation where it was common to be involved in the political environment of the day. 

Again, one can therefore cite, in summary, several indicators on how well our civics education is doing; that is, indicators reflecting lower levels of social capital among Americans, including higher rates of incivility, low levels of political knowledge, and higher political participation in disruptive and divisive activities as in extraordinary politics. 

The evidence seems to indicate, especially when compared with American historical levels, that those who are responsible for imparting instruction in the field of civics education should heed these conditions as a challenge.  Let this account be clear:  the nation needs to do a better job with civics education. 

But there is one more area that is related to civics education but seldom considered.  That are the levels of law-abiding behavior.  Here, this account focuses on actual criminal behaviors and behaviors that enable crime.  The next posting begins reporting on this last element of citizenship.

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[1] Americans’ Knowledge of Political System,” National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), 1999, http://www.nass.org/  (since originally accessed, the report has been taken down).

[2] Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000).

[3] “What Democracy Means to Ninth-Graders: U.S. Results from the International IEA Civic Education Study,” National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 2001.

[4] Ronald Inglehart, Modernization and Postmodernization: Cultural, Economic, and Political Change in 43 Societies (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1997).

[5] A more recent work by Putnam is his edited book, Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society, (2002), in which he brings together scholars that report lower levels of participation in social institutions such as unions, churches, and political parties in advanced democracies. Noted exception was Sweden.  See Robert D. Putnam (editor), Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society (New York, NY:  Oxford University Press, 2002).

[6] “Pew Research: Political Polarization in the American Public,” The Pew Research Center, June 6, 2014, http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/.