How building social infrastructure can fight polarization, improve civic discourse

Published January 4, 2022 at 9:20 AM PST

With polarization on the rise in America, we look at ways to improve the civic discourse across the country.

Eric Klinenberg says public libraries, and other so-called social infrastructure, have helped in the past — and can do so again.

Klinenberg is a professor of social science and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He wrote the book “Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life.”

He joins host Scott Tong to discuss.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.