Thoughts on Civic Muscle

I have the privilege to be part of PACE, a network of philanthropies who think together periodically about fundamental questions related to civic engagement. Over the past two days we have been exploring the idea of flexing and developing “civic muscle,” especially at a time when society faces multiple crises at once.

The idea of civic muscle is a metaphor, a way of making sense of difficult-to-speak-of conceptual ideas. When I encounter such metaphors, I find it is a helpful thought experiment to take them as literally as possible, and see where that takes you.

What we might we mean by “muscle:”

• • A muscle creates a capability, or capacity
  • A muscle can be atrophied from underuse
  • A muscle can be developed through use
  • The using of the muscle is what develops it
  • A muscle exerts power, which (as one colleague pointed out in our conversation, is simply “the ability to achieve an outcome”)

What would be a “civic” muscle? There are two dimensions to this, two ways to take the question. First, we might be talking about capacities held by individuals that benefit the broader good. Second, we might also be talking about capacities held by groups of people that they can collectively use to benefit their collectivity.

Both of these dimensions are important, and they exist in a dynamic relationship to one another. As individuals’ civic muscles develop, so, too, do collective civic muscles develop.

For example, one example of an individual civic muscle might be the capacity to weigh different options for action against what is held valuable. This leads to better decisions , and if I and others can develop that civic muscle, it will benefit our broader community. The capacity to collectively weigh options together depends on individuals’ discrete capacities — but also is its own kind of effort. Collective deliberation can result in different decisions than individual deliberation.

In my work at the Kettering Foundation, I study both individual and collective civic capacities. I find the collective civic muscles much more difficult to discuss, because the concepts are so abstract. Yet they are critical to the civic health of communities.

Some of the collective civic muscles that have atrophied, but could be developed through use:

• • Collective civic learning (that is, learning as a community about what benefits the community)
  • Shared sense of responsibility to wider community
  • Ability to act in complementary ways with others, without explicit coordination
  • Collective decision making on issues where there is disagreement
  • Ability for disparate networks to interact productively

Some of the civic pathologies we are now experiencing can be seen as both the result of such atrophy, but also opportunities for development. For instance, the culture wars over wearing masks are both a symptom of the atrophy in our ability accept responsibility for the well-being of the broader community, but also may become opportunities to improve our ability to make collective decisions.

What collective civic muscles do you see? Which are atrophied? Which are strong?