Crowdocracy: The End of Politics

Crowdocracy: The End of Politics discusses one of the world’s most debated and critical issues – who decides our future and how should we be governed? Democracy is no longer fit for purpose and is struggling to produce solutions to the challenges of our time. Populations feel disenfranchised with the political process, with the real power today being in the hands of a small elite. Crowdocracy offers a radical new way forward, one that allows all of us – not just some of us – to participate in how we are governed. Using technology and the insights of crowd wisdom, the authors describe how we can ultimately shape and govern our communities. A revolutionary idea that can be implemented in an evolutionary way.

Crowdocracy is the second title in the ground-breaking Wicked & Wise series, a range of topical books that explore hotly debated and ‘wicked’ issues facing the planet and its people, offering intelligent, challenging and ‘wise’ ways forward that may be able to break through existing intractable positions. Each book in the series is co-authored by Dr Alan Watkins and an eminent thinker in each subject area.

I predict Crowdocracy will come to be seen as a landmark book; not for totally getting it right, but for being the first to get enough of it right to help launch a movement for fundamental democratic renewal. Our global polls show citizen trust in established democracies at an all-time low. A tipping point is nigh and this book will help shift the balance much as a crystal lowered into a supersaturated solution transforms liquid into form. – Doug Miller, President of GlobeScan Foundation

It is increasingly apparent that democracies struggle to cope with today’s challenges. Democracy as a system asks too much of too few, and not enough of everyone else. I have no doubt we are entering a phase of exploration for what could come next. I’m excited by Crowdocracy’s promise: it is conceptually solid and is based on concrete practices that have proven their worth in real life settings. Let experimentation begin! – Frederic LaLoux, author of Reinventing Organizations

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge Karen McCreadie, Karen has again been absolutely invaluable in marshalling all the arguments, prompting Iman and me all the way through, finding obscure references and constantly challenging us to do better. (AW)

We wrote this book as a mini crowd: Alan, Karen McCreadie and myself. It was without exaggeration one of the best collaborative experiences of my life. We shared, listened, challenged and moved it along, in an experience of flow for much of the time. (IS)