"The last eight years have seen the ascendancy of the political center in American politics." "But as the most recent Presidential election clearly demonstrated, this move away from the extremes has not led to a clearly articulated agenda for the next decade. In Next, Amitai Etzioni argues that though each party claims to occupy the hallowed center, both have failed to address the pressing domestic issues of our day. Has the time come for more regulation (for instance of HMOs or of internet privacy), or less? Can faith-based groups really substitute for the government in delivering social services? Should we nurture virtues - and if so, which ones? How can we make our politics less corrupt?" "An intriguing mix of diagnosis and manifesto, Next issues a bracing call for greater political and community involvement. Etzioni - our most eloquent public intellectual on the integral part of community in our civic life - argues that our world-leading economy offers more opportunities than ever to end scarcity and break out of a cycle of materialism." "Etzioni reacquaints the reader with the social, cultural, and spiritual values that must guide our approach to pressing public policy questions. Making a strong case for the need for a "moderate counterculture" to temper the excesses of our stock market-obsessed society, Etzioni outlines a novel domestic agenda that will allow us to prevail over the principal challenges facing us in the decade to come."--BOOK JACKET.