Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...

82 KPI Congress XI
Project Citizen was designed initially to respond to a perceived need
for greater knowledge of local government in the United States. It also
reflected a concern that by focusing on national governmental
institutions other curricula ignored the decentralized nature of American
society and governmental authority. Students needed to understand their
local governments better and to develop the skills necessary to interact
with local authorities.
For a program that was developed initially for an American context,
Project Citizen has proven remarkably adaptable to other cultures. It has
been introduced as a curriculum to some 70 countries and is being
actively implemented in more than 60 on every inhabited continent.
Although it flourishes in fully democratic societies, it has been adopted
and is being used in many “hybrid” societies in which authoritarian
governmental institutions and political cultures coexist with
modernizing and reformist structures.
Foundations of Democracy is a K-12 curricular program based on
concepts fundamental to an understanding of politics and government,
such as authority, privacy, responsibility, and justice. This multidisciplinary
program draws upon such fields as political philosophy,
political science, law, history, literature, and environmental studies to
promote understanding, civic competence and responsible democratic
citizenship.
The Authority curriculum helps students (1) distinguish between
authority and power, (2) examine different sources of authority,
(3) use reasonable criteria for selecting people for positions of
authority and for evaluating rules and laws, (4) analyze the
benefits and costs of authority, and (5) evaluate, take, and defend
positions on the proper scope and limits of authority.
The Privacy curriculum helps students (1) understand the
importance of privacy in a free society, (2) analyze the benefits
and costs of privacy, and (3) evaluate, take, and defend positions
on the proper scope and limits of privacy.