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Background
About the Social Contract Project
All governments set forth a social contract between public leaders and the people. The American social contract grows out of the
Preamble to the Constitution, which demands that “we the people” work in partnership with government to “establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the
general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”
For more than a decade, the Institute for the Study of Civic Values has used these principles to help citizen groups and public officials draft explicit social contracts defining their
mutual responsibility for community improvement. We have used this technique in a variety of ways. The social contracts that we have negotiated include:
*Hollywood Social Contract -A social contract
drafted in Hollywood, California in 2001 between organizations in Hollywood, California and City officials that set forth an agenda for a new Neighborhood Council being organized under the emerging Los Angeles
Neighborhood Council system.
*Block Club Social Contract-A city-wide social contract among block and neighborhood activists in
Philadelphia defining the mutual responsibility of government and community groups to build strong neighborhoods
*Queen Village Social Contract-A social contract between residents of a middle class neighborhood and the
leadership of a public housing development in the Queen Village neighborhood of Philadelphia establishing their common goals for the community.
*Safe Schools Social Contracts-ISCV has developed social contracts between the Philadelphia School District, the City of
Philadelphia, and a wide range of community organizations aimed at building a city-wide campaign to reduce youth violence in the schools and the neighborhoods. We negotiated the social contracts in the
spring and summer of 2004 and are now working to implement them throughout the City.
*Cooke Middle School (Logan)-A social contract between the principal and teachers of a middle school in
Philadelphia and organizations in the surrounding neighborhood defining their mutual obligation to improve education. The Social Contract is inscribed as a banner in the school library.
These are examples of the kinds of social contracts that the Institute has developed. We will be broadening the use of this approach in the coming year to address issues related to
the federal budget. Social Contracts are gaining increasing acceptance in Philadelphia as an innovative approach to defining who government and citizens can work together to achieve comprehensive strategies for
neighborhood improvement.
In the interest of gaining broader exposure the Social Contract Project, we are pleased to offer these background materials online for cities and neighborhoods that may want to
adopt this approach to meet their own needs.
ISCV is available to assist cities and neighborhoods in developing social contracts that address the critical problems facing your community. If you are interested in more
information fill out the contact form below.
Institute Papers on “Building Community.” These discuss the underlying philosophy of the Social Contract Project.
Neighborhood Social Contracts. These include a contract between homeowners and residents of public housing; a contract between local businesses
and community residents for economic development; and a contract between a school and the civic associations in the surrounding neighborhood. .
The Social Contract Discussion Guide(pdf). This was developed by the Institute to help organizations develop their social contracts.
The Social Contract Network
If these materials inspire you to develop social contracts of your own, then contact us at ISCV and let us know how we can help. Social contracts
have proven to be a powerful tool in community building in Philadelphia. They can work for you as well.
For more information contact Ed Schwartz at the Institute for the Study of Civic Values at edcivic@iscv.org.
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