In recent centuries liberal democracies have amassed a remarkable record of performative excellence. But contemporary statistical evidence points to an ongoing and startling decline in the civic involvement of their citizens. In this article I use the problem of civic nonparticipation to unpack the interaction of institutions and the dispositions of citizens in liberal democracies. Currently the approach that political philosophers take to the civic nonparticipation problem is dominated by an institutional priority view. I develop a mutual reinforcement alternative to the institutional priority view. By mutual reinforcement I mean the idea that the successful operation of institutions and the dispositions of citizens in liberal democracies tend naturally to reinforce each other’s orientation toward liberal-democratic ends. I conclude the article by noting that mutual reinforcement provides us with a more productive way of thinking about issues of civic participation than institutional priority.
Key words: institutions, dispositions, liberal, citizens, democracy.
