Over a decade has passed since the collapse of communism, yet citizens of post-communist countries are still far less likely to join voluntary organizations than people from other countries and regions of the world. Why do post-communist citizens mistrust and avoid public organizations? What explains this distinctive pattern of weak civil society? And what does it mean for the future of democracy in post-communist Europe? In this engaging study, Marc Morjé Howard addresses these questions by developing a provocative argument about the powerful and enduring impact of the communist experience on its countries and citizens. Howard argues that the legacy of the communist experience of mandatory participation in state-controlled organizations, the development and persistence of vibrant private networks, and the tremendous disappointment with developments since the collapse of communism have left most post-communist citizens with a lasting aversion to public activities. In addition to analyzing data from over 30 democratic and democratizing countries in the World Values Survey, Howard presents extensive and original evidence from his own research in Eastern Germany and Russia, including in-depth interviews with ordinary citizens and an original representative survey.
Marc Morje Howard is Professor of Government at Georgetown University. Howard's research and teaching interests address a variety of topics related to democracy and democratization, including civil society, immigration and citizenship, hybrid regimes, right-wing extremism, and public opinion. He is a native speaker of English and French, fluent in German and Russian, and he has conducted primary research in all four languages.
Howard's first book, The Weakness of Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe, was published in 2003 by Cambridge University Press. It has received three awards, including one from the American Political Science Association. The book was also translated into Serbian and Russian.
Howard's latest book, The Politics of Citizenship in Europe, was published in 2009 by Cambridge University Press. It has received an award from the International Studies Association.
Howard is also the co-editor (with Vladimir Tismaneanu and Rudra Sil) of World Order After Leninism, which was published by the University of Washington Press in 2006.
Howard directed the "Citizenship, Involvement, Democracy" (CID) project, a major representative survey of Americans carried out in the spring/summer of 2005, which has resulted in several publications about American civic engagement in comparative perspective, most notably a special issue of the journal Political Studies in March 2008.
Howard has published academic articles in such journals as the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, Perspectives on Politics, Political Studies, the International Migration Review, the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, the Journal of Civil Society, the Journal of Democracy, Demokratizatsiya, East European Politics and Societies, German Politics and Society, and German Politics.
In addition to his academic work, Howard has served as an Assistant Coach of the Georgetown tennis team. And he has published three articles in Tennis Magazine: "No Pain, No Gain: When Ivan Lendl called for a hitting partner, wild horses--or dogs--couldn't keep this player away," "The Tennis Chain-Saw Miracle," and "Child's Play."
Moreover, Howard has taken a personal interest in the issue of wrongful convictions in the American judicial system, and in particular the case of his childhood friend, Marty Tankleff, who was wrongfully imprisoned for over 17 years until his exoneration in December 2007. He has published op-eds about Tankleff's case in the New York Times and Newsday. He also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show for an episode on Marty Tankleff and false confessions.
For more information, including links to his articles in PDF format, go to http://government.georgetown.edu/mmh
