oregon's citizens' initiative review...

participatory budgeting in canada...

struggles for democratic participation and citizenship sometimes emerge in unexpected places. in the small canadian city of guelph, for example, a grassroots neighbourhood coalition has enabled ordinary people to collectively decide what community services their city government provides. although still evolving, guelph’s coalition has helped diverse city residents and staff learn about and build democracy, equity, and community. in the words of one participant: "each group is individual but yet when we come to this table, we need to advocate and make decisions based on the good of the whole. i now understand the statement, what is good for you is also good for me." the experience in guelph is only one example of how participatory budgeting is being adapted to canada. in the face of increasing inequality and neoliberalism, participatory budgeting has made public participation more powerful, government decision-making more democratic, and public spending more equitable // josh lerner & estair van wagner, 02.01.06, transnational institute

the age of unequals...

co-ownership advice, support, funding and development...

are employee-owned businesses a better fit for fostering competiveness in a high-skilled, knowledge-intensive economy? a growing body of research supports the thesis — as do westjet, vancity, PLC construction, many of canada’s law firms and management consultancies, and sure, also the karma co-op. but if employee-owned businesses are better for the economy and more resilient when times get tight, how do we create more of them?

the UK’s baxi partnership has a no-nonsense solution. give employees direct access to management and governance skills, and back them up with access to a dedicated revolving fund to provide the capital for the buyout. good business, but also an idea fit for the times. with aging, enterprising baby-boomers increasingly keen to offload their firms, today's employees with the right support could be tomorrow's ready buyers.