{"product_id":"9781583945001","title":"Empowering Public Wisdom: A Practical Vision of Citizen-Led Politics","description":"\u003cp\u003eLifelong activist Tom Atlee proposes innovative ways to distill the wisdom of ordinary people in order to better guide public policy. In \u003ci\u003eEmpowering Public Wisdom, \u003c\/i\u003eAtlee recognizes currently popular forms of progressive democracy advocates, such as citizen participation and voter education, but suggests that what is really needed is a re-thinking of the very concept of democracy; Atlee advocates the use of \"public wisdom,\" a collective intelligence that can be drawn upon to guide public policy and action. Reaching beyond partisan politics, Atlee explores how a diversity of views can be engaged around public issues in ways that generate a coherent, shared \"voice of the people\" that takes most or all of the population's perspectives and needs into account. Atlee's core approach is through \"citizen deliberative councils,\" in which a small group of people randomly selected creates a \"mini-public\" or a microcosm of the larger population. Citizen councils engage in the study of a public issue and make recommendations to public officials and the community, but disband afterward; when a new issue arises, a new council is formed. Ultimately, Atlee aims even higher, suggesting a possible fourth branch of government to better balance our current democratic system. Combining a radical vision with practical solutions, \u003ci\u003eEmpowering Public Wisdom\u003c\/i\u003e provides a unique and refreshing voice in the political arena.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEmpowering Public Wisdom\u003c\/i\u003e is part of the EVOLVER EDITIONS Manifesto Series.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"North Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47062257271024,"sku":"9781583945001","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781583945001_p0.jpg?v=1763796498","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781583945001","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}