Political
Liberal democracies organize competitive political parties, free and fair elections, separation of powers, and the rule of law. They balance the private and public sectors, regulate the market economy, provide public services, and ensure human rights, civil rights, and political freedoms. The government establishes laws and regulations, enforces them with police power when necessary, and excludes people who refuse to play by the rules.
The systemic reform movement supports liberal democracy, makes voting easier, pushes for lifetime equality of opportunity, and ensures that society meets everyone’s basic needs.
Everyone who promotes justice and compassion nurtures the Bottom-up System. However, when they discuss their actions as ways to change the Top-Down System, they expand awareness of how issues are interconnected and strengthen the movement. This long-term worldview helps sustain the movement over time and unifies diverse populations.
The network of small teams builds bottom-up hierarchies with lower-level groups selecting representatives to higher-level bodies. Members vote on whether to approve compromises, focus on winnable short-term demands, and realize no victory or defeat is final.
The movement promotes deliberative democracy, the official or unofficial use of randomly selected participants with equal power to recommend new policies on a particular issue. For instance, the Irish Citizens' Assembly regularly considers controversial, pressing questions, releases its report, and the government responds. “Deliberative Polling” invites randomly selected participants to review carefully balanced briefing materials on an issue, discuss them for a weekend, and then report on their opinions.
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