Something I would like to pass along, along the lines of generating a community level organizational/recognition structure.
         I have been popularizing the following for about a year on the internet. It has interested many people, and it may be started in Amherst. Hope it interests you.
 

Mark Whitaker
University of Wisconsin-Madison
 
 

CDI: Civic Democratic Institution
        a strategy for empowering coalitional politics

        I created the following 'open-ended' organizational form with an interest in creating a means for citizens concerned about democracy to be able to recognize leaders among themselves, and decide on their politics on a grass-roots level, to get their own issues straight before being swayed by existing political outlets. If the total vote counts in recent Congressional elections are any clue, then most people consider the government to be highly unrepresentative.
        This is designed to help formulate coalitions, get local issues on nation-state and state level agenda, as well as provide an 'introduction' service for people working on the same issues who are unknown to each other. If anyone knows about the arguments make by Robert Putnam concerning 'vanishing social capital' (fancy term for weak informal links between groups that facilitate the mobilization of democracy), this structure is designed to 'knit' people together, to 'generate social capital'--yet on a community's own terms. Curious? Read on.
        Doesn't it often seem that one is forced to 'go it alone' in attempting to get the word out about something. The CDI helps people meet the people, the press, and other social networks interested in working to facilitate democracy--
those interested in preserving its heritage, expanding it, as well as those concerned it is almost gone. Helping out local networking is recognized as the basis for 'civil society,' instead of a minor off-stage voice in power politics. Here's how to make *them* work with *you* instead. Here's how to change the balance of power to be more inclusive of your issues. Here's how to make coalition building part of the very social, cultural, and political air you breathe. And in doing so, facilitate a renaissance of political democracy.
        How do you facilitate this? Simply by doing what you have been doing before. Sound ridiculous? Are you serious? Nothing else to do except what you have been doing already? How can that be? Simply by getting more social coverage, recognizing existing leaderships democratically, and 'generating more social capital' by 'magnifying existing social capital.' Read on.
 

    Who, What, Where, When, Why, and most importantly--How

WHO

        Mark D. Whitaker, 2 B.A.'s,  working on a degree in Sociology with a
        Minor in Urban and Regional Planning, interested in urban sociology,
        comparative urbanization, political sociology, and environmental sociology.

WHAT

        An organizational method for generating a social forum which is
        representative; and from this forum, a source for networking and coalition
        building can be established on a PERMANENT, ROTATIONAL BASIS.

WHERE

        Wherever it can go, urban areas, rural areas, inside organizations, dare I
        say nation-wide cultural recognition, or global ? It's 'modular.' It goes
        where you want it to go.

WHEN

        Whenever a group sponsors it in their hometown, area, organization
        (or nation, etc.). Instructions below.
 

WHY

        The CDI comes out of my following concerns: concern with social
polarization increasing with globalization, lack of political intermediaries,
ideological lines separating people who have much in common which can be
used for politics, interest in facilitating that ubiquitous 'civil society,' avoiding
media bias by serving as a facilitator for airing what the media is silent upon yet
still important to communities of people, creating a sense of civic citizenship
instead of political consumerism, putting the polis in politics.
 

HOW:  Easy as 1,2,3

        This section quickly highlights the structure of the CDI, and how it is a
        facilitation tool for networking and coalitional building. This is summarized
        in three areas.

        1.   Through two tiers of voting
 
        This is the complex part. The CDI has two tiers (or levels) of voting. A long first tier followed by a short second tier of voting, which will be explained. Who does one vote for? Anyone. Anyone? That's right. Anyone. You can vote once for anybody, for as many people as you want. This is a cultural representative body, designed to be comprised of those whom a society feels worthy of recognition. The accumulated social totals will reveal where and who the potentially admired leaders are, without requiring them to 'run' for an office--which draws a different caliber of people.  This just 'spots' them in society, IN WHATEVER CAPACITIES IN WHICH THEY ALREADY ARE BEING SUCCESSFUL. It's a recognition for what they are doing ALREADY, instead of related to how well they can convince people of their future good intentions.
        The first tier of voting is a nine month period. It is so long as to allow for a slow accumulation of voting totals, instead of only the rush of one day's voting.  This allows time for reflection, discussion, and even withdrawal of one's vote later if this person does something within the nine month period which warrants poorly on their potential representative role (yes, you can withdraw your vote in this nine month period, as well as cast it).
        The second tier of voting begins after the publication of the first tier's totals. This list of everyone in the first tier becomes the billet for the second tier of voting. The second tier is short. It lasts for only a month, in which people can vote for or against anyone on this billet of potential candidates (just like the first nine months, except without one's vote going to the same person's total twice.). This allows a 'whittling down' of vote totals, so that the people who would prefer to avoid seeing this candidate as a cultural representative (and want to vote against them to show it) can do something about it.  While this is occurring, you simultaneously can be 'chipping in' as well for other candidates, if there is someone whom the first tier of voting has recognized that you completely forgot about or was unaware of and whom you think would be a good cultural representative for you as well.
        A wider cultural influence in politics, a combined sense of civic participation and citizenship recognition, and a coalitional framework for politics can simultaneously come of such procedures.
 

        2. Through equality of sex/gender representation.

        This part is less complex. From the above section, you may be thinking of how ungainly this body of potential cultural representatives will be, in terms of sheer size.  In addition, you may be thinking that most of these 'representatives' potentially will have incredibly low vote totals for the entire ten month period and will 'squeeze by' and be accorded the same public recognition and role as those with larger vote totals. Both issues of the ungainliness and the vote totals difference are addressed by taking the least common multiple of the sex with the least overall votes (or whatever method or multiple the CDI decides) after the second voting tier, and making that the determining factor for the equal number of the other sex. That addresses the potential ungainly size.
        In addition, this.addresses equity of gender representation publicly. The 'trimming' occurs from both the top and the bottom of the other group. Why? Because, this addresses a 'stacking' of the vote totals for any one gender group when the process of creating a public parity is achieved.
        Why explicitly address sex/gender in coalition facilitation? This assures that the CDI is a representative body which can deal equitably with the very different lives and experiences that men and women lead.  Different genders have different economic and social positionalities taken as a group, and neglecting this would leave certain social issues innately covered over if this was unaddressed.  The CDI is designed to widen the cultural discourse upon which politics is based, allowing for more potential for coalition building.  In this capacity, the CDI can be a place of developing leadership and speaking skills in a public venue as well.
 

        3. Though other methods of tailoring the CDI to suit your application.

       The CDI creates its own procedures of voting, meeting, visiting, investigating--whatever they feel capable of doing as individuals or groups.
 
 
        These are the main three points, designed to provide a guide to understanding the processes described in greater detail elsewhere.

 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

LISTSERVE: subscribe  --  listar@ssc.wisc.edu, 'subscribe cdi [e-mail]'
                    post message   --       cdi@ssc.wisc.edu

        I have established a listserve for the CDI. Join for questions and answers, or the sharing of insights about the CDI and other mechanisms of facilitating local political processes, or the sharing of experiences in successfully (and unsuccessfully) facilitating local grass roots democracy. What are some things we can learn and share about active democratic procedures, as well as what should be avoided?  The listserve will be the long-term workshop for sharing information about CDI's in local areas, and gauging effects. Subscribe by sending an e-mail to majordomo@ssc.wisc.edu, with  'subscribe cdi' followed by your e-mail address.

WEB-PAGE:  www.sit.wisc.edu/~mrkdwhit/cdi3.htm

        It's rather 'stuffy' reading, yet it is built on an appreciation of the interactions between organizational forms and the informal networks of politics they can generate. It explains why there are two tiers: to dismantle unrepresentative informal coteries of interests that generally occur out of organizational formations, and which generally take over an electoral processes once it has been  institutionalized. The webpage houses the text of the CDI, with more precise explanations. There are minor aspects I have left unaddressed in this 'address' to everyone. These you can get from the web-page. This e-mail covers the basic points for the short length. If there are questions, remember, there is the listserve.

WEB-SITE:  www.sit.wisc.edu/~mrkdwhit/cdi1.htm

        The site has a copy of this message, as well various other essays I have written that integrate the CDI into a larger scheme of politics and sustainability of grass roots politics.  The web-site will be a 'work-in-process' or 'white paper' clearinghouse for information delaing wth CDI and 'social and political' sustainability. Send me related links so I can post them.
 

E-MAIL: mrkdwhit@wallet.com

        Please put 'CDI' in the title so I can see it clearly in my mailbox.
 

HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU? RELATED PROJECT

        Translations, anyone? If you would like to translate the CDI into your native language to help your local coalition building and democratic process, please do so. It's copyrighted, though I am allowing non-profit publication. If you like, please send translated copies to me and I will post them on the webpage.
 

PLEASE E-MAIL THIS TO THREE PEOPLE (OR MORE) YOU FEEL WOULD BE INTERESTED IN CDI.   IT'S YOUR DEMOCRACY. THANK YOU.
 

Regards,

Mark Whitaker
University of Wisconsin-Madison