Abstract

An ongoing inquiry into grassroots democracy is the determination of how it actually occurs in practical terms. Researchers continue to explore the experiences of people working together in neighborhoods to solve common problems in an effort to shed light on the actual practices of citizen-driven endeavors. In an effort to advance this line of research, this article explores the experiences of two neighborhood associations in a medium sized city in the middle western part of the United States and how their members define, devise ways to, and ultimately solve common problems. A discussion of the implications of these findings and their impact on public administration, local governance, and the ability of grassroots group dynamics to “get the job done” is offered.