Does talking about civic issues encourage civic participation? In his innovative book, a"Civic Talk," Casey Klofstad shows that our discussions about politics and current events with our friends, colleagues, and relativesOCocivic talkOCohas the ability to turn thought into actionOCofrom voting to volunteering in civic organizations.

KlofstadOCOs path breaking research is the first to find evidence of a causal relationship between the casual chatting and civic participation. He employs survey information and focus groups consisting of randomly assigned college freshman roommates to show...