Government in the Twilight Zone: Volunteers to Small-City Boards and Commissions

Illuminates how local board systems operate and the motivations and experiences of their members.

While 97 percent of all American cities are smaller than 50,000 and millions of Americans experience civic life in these communities, what we know about their politics and governance is limited, particularly how local board systems operate, who the board members are, what motivates them to serve, and what they think about their experiences. Drawing on a unique and extensive set of survey data fr...