Drawing from years of experience and study, John Gastil offers a variety of solutions to the problems commonly faced by small, democratic groups. He thoroughly explores the dynamics of practising democracy, including the relationship between speaking rights and listening responsibilities; the importance of full access to information and agenda setting; and ways to practice democracy in personal, family and neighbourhood life. Throughout, he enriches his suggestions with detailed descriptions of the dynamics within a co-operative grocery store. To help readers to choose the democratic structure most appropriate to their group, the book also surveys the full range of democratic processes -- including consensus, majority rule, and proportional outcomes.
Author(s): John Gastil
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 224
Contents......Page 2
1 Introduction......Page 6
2 Small Group Democracy......Page 13
3 More than One Way to Decide......Page 30
4 Food for Thought: A Democratic Grocery Co-Op......Page 40
5 Imperfect Inventory: Obstacles to Democracy at Mifflin Co-Op......Page 57
6 Pursuing an Ideal in Less than Ideal Settings......Page 70
7 Democracy in Our Daily Lives......Page 79
8 Small Groups in Big Worlds......Page 86
Small Group Exercises......Page 94
Bibliography......Page 100
Index......Page 112
