Politics Outside Parties

Politics should be rebuilt around neighborhood associations and ad hoc civic gatherings rather than professionalized parties, NGOs, or technocratic channels. This model emphasizes direct local organizing (signatures, ballot initiatives, community enforcement) as a way to make policy and hold elites accountable. — If taken seriously, an associational politics would alter how power is exercised and contested — shifting leverage from electoral parties and professional NGOs to local networks, reshaping elections, policy rollout, and legitimacy.