Slow Democracy

by Clark, Susan; Teachout, Woden

• ISBN13: 9781603584135
• ISBN10: 1603584137
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-10-10
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co

Summary

Reconnecting with the sources of decisions that affect us, and with the processes of democracy itself, is at the heart of 21st-century sustainable communities. Slow Democracychronicles the ways in which ordinary people have mobilized to find local solutions to local problems. It invites us to bring the advantages of "slow" to our community decision making. Just as slow food encourages chefs and eaters to become more intimately involved with the production of local food, slow democracy encourages us to govern ourselves locally with processes that are inclusive, deliberative, and citizen powered.Susan Clark and Woden Teachout outline the qualities of real, local decision making and show us the range of ways that communities are breathing new life into participatory democracy around the country. We meet residents who seize back control of their municipal water systems from global corporations, parents who find unique solutions to seemingly divisive school-redistricting issues, and a host of other citizens across the nation who have designed local decision-making systems to solve the problems unique to their area in ways that work best for their communities.Though rooted in the direct participation that defined our nation's early days, slow democracy is not a romantic vision for reigniting the ways of old. Rather, the strategies outlined here are uniquely suited to 21st-century technologies and culture.If our future holds an increased focus on local food, local energy, and local economy, then surely we will need to improve our skills at local governance as well.

Table of Contents

foreword	p. vii
preface	p. xiii
introduction	p. xxi
Slow Democracy: Why Do We Need It?
"Town Halls" from Hell, and Other Stories	p. 1
The Rise of Experts and the Decline of Local Decision Making	p. 20
Communities Taking Action in a Big World	p. 38
Slow Democracy: Why Now?
The Time Is Right	p. 61
Cultural Cognition and Slow Democracy	p. 82
A Recipe for Slow Democracy
The Promise of Local	p. 107
Inclusion	p. 116
Dialogue and Building Understanding	p. 130
Deliberation	p. 143
Power	p. 163
Reflections on Slow Democracy
The Jury, Town Meeting, and Slow Democracy	p. 177
When Advocacy Meets Slow Democracy	p. 186
epilogue: Closing Thoughts: The Ecology of Slow Democracy	p. 203
Slow Democracy Rules	p. 205
Slow Democracy Resource List	p. 209
acknowledgments	p. 212
notes	p. 215
index	p. 234
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