Democracy in Small Groups: Participation, Decision-making and Communication [Paperback]

John Gastil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

Drawing from years of experience and study, John Gastil offers a variety of solutions to the problems commonly faced by small, democratic groups. He thoroughly explores the dynamics of practising democracy, including the relationship between speaking rights and listening responsibilities; the importance of full access to information and agenda setting; and ways to practice democracy in personal, family and neighbourhood life. Throughout, he enriches his suggestions with detailed descriptions of the dynamics within a co-operative grocery store. To help readers to choose the democratic structure most appropriate to their group, the book also surveys the full range of democratic processes -- including consensus, majority rule, and proportional outcomes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Drawing from years of experience and study, John Gastil offers a variety of solutions to the problems commonly faced by small, democratic groups. He thoroughly explores the dynamics of practicing democracy, including the relationship between speaking rights and listening responsibilities; the important of full access to information and agenda setting: and ways to practice democracy in personal, family and neighborhood life. Throughout, he enriches his suggestions with detailed descriptions of the dynamics within a cooperative grocery store. To help readers choose the democratic structure most appropriate to their group. Democracy in Small Groups: Participation, Decision-Making and Communication also surveys the full range of democratic processes, including consensus, majority rule, and proportional outcomes. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: New Society Publishers (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865712743
• ISBN-13: 978-0865712744
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,786,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Gastil (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) is Professor and Head, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State University. He published DEMOCRACY IN SMALL GROUPS in 1993 and has since continued to explore democracy and deliberation at many levels of analysis in BY POPULAR DEMAND (2000), THE DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY HANDBOOK (co-edited with Peter Levine in 2005), and POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND DELIBERATION (2008). He also returned to the study of group behavior in THE GROUP IN SOCIETY (2010). He is also one of the co-authors of THE JURY AND DEMOCRACY (2010). The National Science Foundation has supported numerous large-scale research programs for which he has served as a principal investigator. He has also worked on campaigns for federal, state, and local office in California and New Mexico.