Participatory Society

Michael Albert and Robin Hanhel's theory of participatory economics (parecon) and Stephen Shalom's theory of participatory polity propose complementary visions for a participatory society. They and other scholars have collaborated and elaborated on this vision in a number of works, often on the website ZNet.

Culture

The participatory society aims for "an end to systematic violation of women, gays, children, and the elderly." Moving beyond the norm of the patriarchal family, parents evenly share parenting labor and people live in a variety of individual and collective living arrangements according to their preferences. People of all ages can engage in consensual sex without stigma. The participatory society values cultural diversity and local autonomy, with communities federating into intercommunal networks that seek to abolish hierarchies based on religion, and ethnicity, and "race."

Decisions

In participatory polity, nested councils make decisions, striving for consensus and resorting to majority vote when consensus is not reached. From the the local councils upward, councils send immediately recallable, rotating delegates to coordinate affairs among regions. Delegates are not mandated to vote for the position favored by their council, since such an arrangement would prevent them from reaching a more informed decision based on deliberation with members from other councils. The higher councils only vote on relatively non-controversial matters. When there is a close vote, or when enough lower councils demand it, matters are returned to the lower councils for a vote. Each council above the local level has a council court, made of randomly-selected, rotating citizens, who overrule decisions they deem in violation of the rights of minorities.

Economy

In participatory economics (parecon), workers' councils and consumers' councils deliberate with each other in order to optimally allocate materials to workplaces and goods to consumers. Workers' councils ensure that each worker has an interesting variety of tasks and workplaces, called a balanced job complex. Workers are remunerated based on their effort and sacrifice.

Environment

A variety of mechanisms in parecon allow people to structure an ecological society if they desire one. Michael Albert explains:

In sum then, parecon removes capitalism’s accumulation drive for corporate profit which compels behavior that hurts and even decimates other species. It puts in its place a concern for human well-being and development that doesn’t forcefully a priori preclude harming other species, but which is receptive to and respectful of governmental or other social or ecological restraints on behalf of other species. If other species had votes, in other words, they would vote for parecon.