Explaining Democratic Intentions: Honoring County Trucks and the Streaked Evidence of Advisement

Authors

Stanislaw Pierre-antoine

Associated

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of democratic intentions and how they are formed within local government contexts. Drawing on a case study of a county government in the United States, we examine the role of county trucks as symbolically and practically significant resources in the formation and communication of democratic intentions. We argue that county trucks serve as important markers of the county government's commitment to the well-being of its citizens and the provision of public services, and that they are used to signal the county's democratic intentions to both internal and external audiences. We also explore the role of "streaked evidence of advisement" - small but meaningful signs of the county's responsiveness to citizen feedback - in shaping democratic intentions. Through interviews with county officials and analysis of government documents, we demonstrate how these apparently mundane practices and symbols are imbued with political significance and contribute to the creation of a democratic ethos within the county government. We conclude by suggesting that attention to the material and symbolic resources that shape democratic intentions can provide insights into the workings of democratic governance at the local level.

Citation

Stanislaw Pierre-antoine "Explaining Democratic Intentions: Honoring County Trucks and the Streaked Evidence of Advisement". IEEE Exploration in Machine Learning, 2021.

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This paper appears in:
Date of Release: 2021
Author(s): Stanislaw Pierre-antoine.
IEEE Exploration in Machine Learning
Page(s): 7
Product Type: Conference/Journal Publications