Integrating Political Science, Education and Public Policy International Perspectives on Decision-Making, Systems Theory and Socialization Research

This volume is a collection of ideas of the past, present and future interrelationships among political science, education, socialization and public policy analysis, using both American and international perspectives and research findings. In addition to a thorough discussion of political socialization findings in a cross-national context, this book also uses a taxonomic approach in conceptualizing U.S. civic education during the 1960s and 1970s, with an update on the state of U.S. citizenship education in the 1980s. What is proposed here is a practical new model for organizing our political education curricula; one which is analytical, allows for a dynamic synthesis and stresses the importance of active decision-making and policy analysis as key elements in participatory democracy and citizenship education. Concluding recommendations, comments, interpretations and challenges to political educators and researchers complete this unique theoretical and empirical approach to political education.