Economic Direct Democracy
* Book: Economic Direct Democracy: A Framework to End Poverty and Maximize Well-Being. By John C. Boik
URL = http://www.PrincipledSocietiesProject.org (free pdf)
Description
1.
"the book describes a new, local economic framework that could help cities and regions increase wages, reduce income inequality, reduce unemployment, improve well-being, and raise funds for infrastructure repair, climate change, and other important issues. Nonprofits and schools also benefit from the new source of funding."
2.
"Economic Direct Democracy is a book-length proposal for transforming local economies into sustainable, democratic systems. John Boik describes a novel local economic framework that represents a synthesis of approaches already in use in some cities around the world. The framework builds on ideas from buy-local, invest-local, local-currency, local-food, local-sharing, open-source, open-government, open-data, participatory democracy, and related community development, knowledge transfer, and decision-making initiatives.
The framework is implemented by a Local Economic Direct Democracy Association (LEDDA), which is a membership-based, community-benefit corporation. The LEDDA framework functions as an overlay to an existing city or regional economy. It offers all members roughly equal and direct opportunity to influence their local economy.
The framework is intended to empower communities to strengthen local economies and take meaningful action on infrastructure repair, debt, income inequality, health care, climate change, environmental degradation, and other issues of importance. Results from a computer simulation model, discussed in the book, describe how the system leads to higher incomes, reduced income inequality, reduced unemployment, and funding for schools, nonprofits, and businesses.
Contents
Chapter 1: Getting There From Here
1.1 A Confluence of Crises Six Challenges Local Problems 1.2 Purpose 1.3 Strategy 1.4 Cooperation
Chapter 2: The LEDDA Framework and Notions of Justice
2.1 Elements of the LEDDA Framework 2.2 Notions of Justice Adam Smith John Rawls Amartya Sen Rawls, Sen, Arrow, and the LEDDA Framework
Chapter 3: Economic Direct Democracy
3.1 What Is Democracy? 3.2 Decision-Making Processes Purchasing Decisions Bakery Example The Crowd-Based Financial System Bakery Example, Continued
Chapter 4: LEDDA Impact
4.1 Integrated Approach 4.2 LEDDA Microsimulation Model
Chapter 5: Income Equality
5.1 Income and Wealth Distributions 5.2 Issues of Income Equality 5.3 Engagements
Chapter 6: Token Exchange System
6.1 Overview of Local Currencies Local and Regional Complementary Currencies Global Complementary Currencies 6.2 Flows in the Token Exchange System The Token Monetary System For-Profit and Nonprofit Organizations Collaborative Governance System Crowd-Based Financial System Loan Certificate Trading System 6.3 Legal Aspects of Local Currencies
Chapter 7: Principled Business Model
7.1 Public Corporations 7.2 Socially Responsible Corporate Forms Social Business Nonprofits in the United States 7.3 Principled Business 7.4 Certifying a Principled Business 7.5 Diversity of Principled Businesses 7.6 Intellectual Property
Chapter 8: National Monetary and Financial Systems
8.1 Eight Differences 8.2 Debt-Free Money Creation The Fed, Banks, and Dollar Creation The LEDDA Approach to Token Creation Dollar Debt 8.3 Focus on Economic Development 8.4 Inflation-Free Money 8.5 Income Inequality 8.6 Environmental Stewardship 8.7 High Transparency 8.8 Alternative Conceptual Models
Chapter 9: Collaborative Governance System
9.1 Three Branches of Collaborative Governance 9.2 Administrative Branch 9.3 Legislative Branch Evolutionary Computation Details of the Legislative Process 9.4 Judicial Branch
Chapter 10: Starting and Operating a LEDDA
10.1 LEDDA Startup 10.2 Businesses Diversity and Distributive Enterprises 10.3 Targeting Economic Sectors 10.4 Climate Change and the Environment 10.5 Interrelated Problems 10.6 Next Steps