Jeffrey Stout Blessed Are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010 344 pp $2995 ISBN: 978-1-4008-3607-9 The notion of grassroots or bottom-up citizen political activism regained popularity during the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama Having been a community organizer working with citizens groups on Chicago's far South Side, Obama emphasized the crucial role played by an active, involved citizenry in working to bring about social change In his book, Blessed are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America, Jeffrey Stout provides an interesting examination of modern-day grassroots organizations as they fight to overcome economic devastation, community dissolution, and governmental apathy wreaked on their lives by Hurricane Katrina, gang warfare, and abject poverty Stout focuses on three main areas in his investigation of the nature of organized grassroots political activism First, he discusses the role of the citizen in a democratic republic Here he articulates what he considers to be the inherent responsibilities of citizenship and why an activist public is essential to maintaining this form of government The second area relates to the organizational structure of effective activist groups The model he observes is that of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), a confederation of community organizations founded by the dean of radical grassroots organizing, Saul Alinsky Stout's third area of consideration is the activist role of the religious community in furthering progressive social causes The central idea giving rise to citizens' organizations seems to be that the impetus for progressive political change must come from the bottom rung of the political power ladder (the citizens) and push its way up to the halls of legislative policy making In the first chapter (entitled "The Responsibilities of a Citizen"), Stout lays out his views regarding the shared obligations that are incumbent upon the citizens of a democratic republic On page 12 he states: "Central to the spirit of democracy, as I understand it, is a people's disposition to care about liberty and justice for all and to act in ways to make this concern manifest" (emphasis added) He continues: "Grassroots democracy is an evolving collection of practices intended to perfect the exercise of political responsibility by citizens in a republic that officially aspires to be democratic" (13) Chapter eleven, which is one of Stout's most philosophically rigorous and interesting, examines the apparently inconsistent notion of a "democratic republic …

Blessed Are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America

ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has given rise to dichotomous debates in international politics on whether authoritarian or democratic governance is more effective in responding to the pandemic. This study argues that the Vietnamese government, which is categorized as authoritarian, effectively managed the COVID-19 pandemic, at least until 2021, by utilizing vertical and horizontal political systems, networks, and social media platforms; increasing accountability and transparency through risk communication and providing scientifically credible information; and mobilizing organizations affiliated with the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and its diverse stakeholders. In the process, these social attempts have provided more room for citizens to participate in combating this pandemic that has resulted in a change in state–society relations. However, this change might not continue in reforming daily life.

Governance and state–society relations in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract In this paper, the concept of “people as the roots” (of the state) is explored through its myriad expressions in Vietnamese history: the emphasis of Vietnamese feudal rulers on fulfilling the people’s will, loving the people, and ensuring peace for the people. From these historical examples, the authors argue that in the politics of Vietnamese traditional Confucianism, there has been the presence of democratic elements. Yet, they do not reflect a full-fledged democracy and should be seen only as signs of village democracy. This view holds an important implication for the process of democratization of modern Vietnamese society: while the concept of “people as the roots” is essential for a village democracy and is valuable for building a democracy, it does not necessarily mean a straightforward translation to a modern democracy. Here, the authors suggest that civil society will play an important role in making this transition smoother.

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Tai-Dong Nguyen

Papers

People as the Roots (of the State): Democratic Elements in the Politics of Traditional Vietnamese Confucianism