Democratic by Design

Posted on 13 January 2017 by Gabriel Metcalf

Co ops Credit unions Communal work space These are all familiar concepts to most Americans, and alive and well throughout the country, yet their potential to challenge the status quo of corporate and government bloat is rarely discussed Such ventures have long appealed to the practical dreamers people who want to promote a vision of big social change, while also accomplishing something concrete At last, their moment has arrived in the ascendance of the so called sharing economy While the term refers largely to profit making entities like car and rent sharing sites, it springs from the same impulse that has always prompted us to team up and work around the system.In Democratic by Design, Metcalf looks at alternative institutions not only as a booming new reality but as an engine of social change, a key ingredient in solving large, intractable problems like housing, health and transportation Looking beyond or beneath the media analysis, Metcalf offers a brief history of a movement born not from increased efficiencies and better technology, as many assume, but of the fundamental desire to create a equitable world. Free Read [ Democratic by Design ] Author [ Gabriel Metcalf ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr This was exactly the book I was looking for I ve been involved in CSAs, a collective bookstore, and am currently involved in a community land trust, and I was looking for a book that would give me an introduction to the intellectual foundations of alternative institutions and collectives co ops This was it The annotated bibliography alone in the appendix was worth my time, and will probably cause me to buy the book for my bookshelf after I return my borrowed copy to the library.The book mak This was exactly the book I was looking for I ve been involved in CSAs, a collective bookstore, and am currently involved in a community land trust, and I was looking for a book that would give me an introduction to the intellectual foundations of alternative institutions and collectives co ops This was it The annotated bibliography alone in the appendix was worth my time, and will probably cause me to buy the book for my bookshelf after I return my borrowed copy to the library.The book makes the argument that progressives should focus their efforts on alternative institutions and not just social movements and organizing in order to effect social change I found the argument conv...Some of the chapters dragged on a bit writing style wise either too much background and not enough practical info and or underdeveloped concepts , but interesting book overall The author tackles working within exis...interesting idea, poor executionDecent idea, execution doesn t quite rise to the idea On the plus side, the book is very short.If you re familiar with car sharing, co ops and land trusts I don t think you ll learn much from this book.This is a book I wanted to give four stars to, and ordinarily would have, save for a pervasive flaw running throughout.But first, the good Metcalf was one of the founders of a car sharing program in San Fransisco designed to reduce the number of cars and to encourage alternative modes of transportation except in cases where cars have to be used His book is, if nothing else, a strongly practical primer of real ideas that can be implemented pretty much anywhere, and for that alone there is much This is a book I wanted to give four stars to, and ordinarily would have, save for a pervasive flaw running throughout.But first, the good Metcalf was one of the founders of a car sharing program in San...very quick and easy to understand I ve never heard the term alternate institutions before, but when I thought about it it s basically everything I m all about lolol I liked how he explained the history behind a few alternate institutions like carsharing and community land trusts and even the origins of our government but also emphasizes that there are multiple institutions that exist and can t possibly be all be changed with one overarching societal solution basically how society is an ec very quick and easy to understand I ve never heard the term alternate institutions before, but when I thought about it it s basically everything I m all about lolol I liked h...Better concept then execution The idea of sharing resources and working together as a community is an idea scenario, but the reality is harder to accomplish The author does a good job of communicating his theory and has some decent examples of how you could encourage this Downside is that he doesn t present a downside That is, there is no clear discussion of both sides of the equation Also the author sounds like a he had came up with a mediocre project that he ended up leaving, and decided Better concept then execution The idea of sharing resources and working together as a community is an idea scenario, but the reality is harder to accomplish The author does a good job of communicating his theory and has some decent examples of how you could encourage this Downside is that he doesn ...A quick paced, thoughtful, and optimistic review of various efforts on the ground to build a better society from within, with attention to what has worked and what has not The author speaks from experience having co founded City Car Share in S...

13 January 2017

Gabriel Metcalf