Follett Foundation -Second Internat’l Conversation on Creative

Posted by on June 6, 2003

The Mary Parker Follett Conversation on Creative Democracy
2003 Metropolitan Democracy through Neighborhood Organization

This team will explore the development of a practical strategy for Follettian democracy in metropolitan areas through the acquisition of limited public powers by a lower tier of directly democratic neighborhood organizations.

Initial Triggering Question: What are the costs and benefits of a lower tier of metropolitan government in which directly democratic neighborhood organizations have limited grants of public powers?

Preparation: Possible areas of preparatory work by participants include the following:

1. Identifying political and economic costs and benefits of massive constituencies of contemporary urban governance.

2. Identifying social and cultural costs and benefits of massive constituencies of contemporary urban governance.

3. Exploring economic costs and benefits of two-tier metropolitan governance.

4. Exploring contemporary momentum for secession of significant districts from within major urban municipalities (e.g., Los Angeles).

5. Exploring feasible models of directly democratic governance for the lower tier of two-tier metropolitan governance.

6. Exploring feasible models of economic enterprise and service for the lower tier of two-tier metropolitan governance.

7. Exploring related chronological imperatives of building community, building organization, building mobilization, and building institution.

Other Research Conversation Teams 2003

The following teams have been proposed and are open for participation. If you are interested in joining one of these teams, please contact the appropriate team coordinator as soon as possible.

It is highly recommended that you join one of these teams and participate in the preparatory phase if you plan to attend the Follett Conversation. However, attendees who have not chosen a team may find openings at the Conversation event, depending on the policy of the teams.

Important: The registration deposit of $50 is due by July 1, with the balance due August 1. Travel and accommodations are the responsibility of the attendee. We have hotel recommendations listed in the Call for Participants and Themes, which can be downloaded in PDF format from the home page of the Follett Foundation web site, http://www.follettfoundation.org.

Team A: Metropolitan Democracy through Neighborhood Organization
Team B: Developing a Community-Wide Curriculum for Civil Awareness and Reciprocity
Team C: Empowering Citizens through the Social Planetarium
Team D: Envisioning an Iraqi Model of Democracy
Team E: No Future Left Behind: Promoting the Participatory Redesign of Public Education