Participatory Democracy : Prospects for Democratizing Democracy

A completely revised edition of the classic and widely consulted 1970 version. First published as a testament to the legacy of the concept made popular by the New Left of the 1960s, and with the perspective of the intervening decades, this book opens up the way for re-examining just what is involved in democratizing democracy. With its emphasis on citizen participation, here, presented in one volume are the best arguments for participatory democracy written by some of the most relevant contributors to the debate, both in an historic, and in a contemporary, sense. This wide-ranging collection probes the historical roots of participatory democracy in our political culture, analyzes its application to the problems of modern society, and explores the possible forms it might take on every level of society from the work place, to the community, to the nation at large. Part II,'The Politics of Participatory Democracy,'covers Porto Alegre, Montreal, the new Urban ecology, and direct democracy.