Real Democracy

Real Democracy PDF Author: Frank M. Bryan
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226077985
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
Relying on an astounding collection of more than three decades of firsthand research, Frank M. Bryan examines one of the purest forms of American democracy, the New England town meeting. At these meetings, usually held once a year, all eligible citizens of the town may become legislators; they meet in face-to-face assemblies, debate the issues on the agenda, and vote on them. And although these meetings are natural laboratories for democracy, very few scholars have systematically investigated them. A nationally recognized expert on this topic, Bryan has now done just that. Studying 1,500 town meetings in his home state of Vermont, he and his students recorded a staggering amount of data about them—238,603 acts of participation by 63,140 citizens in 210 different towns. Drawing on this evidence as well as on evocative "witness" accounts—from casual observers to no lesser a light than Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn—Bryan paints a vivid picture of how real democracy works. Among the many fascinating questions he explores: why attendance varies sharply with town size, how citizens resolve conflicts in open forums, and how men and women behave differently in town meetings. In the end, Bryan interprets this brand of local government to find evidence for its considerable staying power as the most authentic and meaningful form of direct democracy. Giving us a rare glimpse into how democracy works in the real world, Bryan presents here an unorthodox and definitive book on this most cherished of American institutions.

Real Democracy

Real Democracy PDF Author: Frank M. Bryan
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226077985
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 333

Get Book Here

Book Description
Relying on an astounding collection of more than three decades of firsthand research, Frank M. Bryan examines one of the purest forms of American democracy, the New England town meeting. At these meetings, usually held once a year, all eligible citizens of the town may become legislators; they meet in face-to-face assemblies, debate the issues on the agenda, and vote on them. And although these meetings are natural laboratories for democracy, very few scholars have systematically investigated them. A nationally recognized expert on this topic, Bryan has now done just that. Studying 1,500 town meetings in his home state of Vermont, he and his students recorded a staggering amount of data about them—238,603 acts of participation by 63,140 citizens in 210 different towns. Drawing on this evidence as well as on evocative "witness" accounts—from casual observers to no lesser a light than Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn—Bryan paints a vivid picture of how real democracy works. Among the many fascinating questions he explores: why attendance varies sharply with town size, how citizens resolve conflicts in open forums, and how men and women behave differently in town meetings. In the end, Bryan interprets this brand of local government to find evidence for its considerable staying power as the most authentic and meaningful form of direct democracy. Giving us a rare glimpse into how democracy works in the real world, Bryan presents here an unorthodox and definitive book on this most cherished of American institutions.

Philip Hoff

Philip Hoff PDF Author: Samuel B. Hand
Publisher: UPNE
ISBN: 1611680328
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
This lively and thoughtful book explores what it means to be black in an allegedly postracial America

Vermont School Laws

Vermont School Laws PDF Author: Vermont
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational law and legislation
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description


Wetland, Woodland, Wildland

Wetland, Woodland, Wildland PDF Author: Elizabeth Hathaway Thompson
Publisher: University Press of New England
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 472

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Book Description
The first field guide to all of Vermont's natural communities

Secession

Secession PDF Author: Thomas H. Naylor
Publisher: Feral House
ISBN: 1932595309
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
America has lost its moral authority to huge corporate interests, say Secession movement leaders. This remarkable dossier shows how a seemingly wild political idea continues to grow and create debate on the US' unsustainable, ungovernable and unfixable empire.

Courts, Liberalism, and Rights

Courts, Liberalism, and Rights PDF Author: Jason Pierceson
Publisher: Philadelphia, PA : Temple University Press
ISBN: 9781592134007
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Philosophy matters. In the courts the best hope for an expansion of rights comes from judges who view liberalism as grounded in an expansion of rights rather than the constraint of government activity. Courts, Liberalism, and Rights begins with the premise that the courts offer the best chance for achieving a broad set of rights for gays and lesbians, particularly those courts whose judges draw on the expansive interpretation of liberalism. To make his case, Pierceson guides readers through a nuanced discussion of liberalism, court rulings on sodomy laws and same-sex marriage, and a look at the comparative example of Canada. Pierceson ends the book with a call for a return to understanding gay and lesbian issues as rights claims and an argument for a broader definition of liberalism, one that addresses not only individual freedom but the importance of equality and inclusion as well. His argument will find an audience among those who study liberalism and the judiciary as well as those in lesbian and gay studies.

Report on the Geology of Vermont

Report on the Geology of Vermont PDF Author: Vermont. State Geologist
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Geology
Languages : en
Pages : 524

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Book Description


Congressional Record

Congressional Record PDF Author: United States. Congress
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 1328

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Book Description


The Socialist Mayor

The Socialist Mayor PDF Author: Steven Soifer
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Steven Soifer evaluates the role local electoral politics can play in incorporating democratic-socialist principles into the United States. In this work, a case study of the administration of Burlington, Vermont mayor Bernard Sanders, Soifer examines a contemporary experiment in municipal socialist politics. The Socialist Mayor is based on over eighty interviews with people both inside and outside the Sanders administration. The book explores how the mayor and members of the Burlington Progressive Coalition were elected and re-elected several times, and assesses possibilities for implementing socialism on the municipal level. The introductory chapter lays out a historical and theoretical framework for discussing municipal socialism in the United States. Subsequent chapters address the conditions surrounding Sanders' election, the success of the Progressive Coalition, and development and growth issues. The workings of democracy under a socialist administration are examined by focusing on electoral involvement, neighborhood groups, and tenants' issues. Questions of ownership are examined through the use of several case examples, such as the attempt to municipalize the city's privately owned cable company. The topic of taxes and quality of life issues are fully explored, as is Sanders' unique concern with the Central American peace movement. The book concludes with a detailed discussion of Sanders' influence on Vermont politics and his position within the socialist spectrum. This book takes on added significance in light of Sanders' November 1990 election to the U.S. House of Representatives, the first socialist to be elected to Congress since the 1940s. Soifer's study will be an important resource for courses in political science and municipal government, as well as a valuable addition to public and academic libraries.

The People's Republic

The People's Republic PDF Author: Greg Guma
Publisher: New England PressInc
ISBN: 9780933050785
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description