TY - BOOK AU - Asimakopoulos,John TI - Social structures of direct democracy: on the political economy of equality T2 - Studies in critical social sciences, SN - 9789004262751 AV - JC423 .A775 2014 U1 - 321.8 23 PY - 2014/// CY - Leiden, Boston PB - Brill KW - Direct democracy KW - Equality KW - Social structure N1 - Includes bibliographical references and index; Preliminary Material --; Introduction --; Theory, Praxis, and Change --; Relations of Authority --; Material Relations --; Social Structure --; Conclusion: No Islands of Egalitarianism in a Sea of Inequality --; Afterword: What Can Grow in the Graveyard for Orthodoxies?; Richard Gilman-Opalsky --; Bibliography --; Index; Available to subscribing member institutions only N2 - Neoliberalism has pushed capitalism to its limits, hollowing out global economies and lives in the process, while people have no voice. John Asimakopoulos addresses the problem with a theory to practice model that reconciles Marxism, with its diverse radical currents, and democratic theory. Social Structures of Direct Democracy develops a political economy of structural equality in large-scale society making strong empirical arguments for radical transformation. Key concepts include filling positions of political and economic authority (e.g., legislatures and corporate boards) with randomly selected citizens leaving the demos as the executive. Asimakopoulos shows that an egalitarian society leads to greater innovation, sustainable economic growth, and positive social benefits in contrast to economies based on individualism, competition, and inequality UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004262751 ER -