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Brazil

Grassroots Governance & Accountability

Worth Reading

An article appeared today in Repùblica, a newspaper in Nepal, on the need for participatory, transparent, accountable, and inclusive governance. An OpEd essay written in support of a proposed freedom of information law it presents the reasons why applying these principles will strengthen governance at the grassroots level. Only when citizens are informed, they can stand [...]

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Terra Viva, São Paulo, Brazil

In the Workplace

Terra Viva is an agribusiness centered in São Paulo, Brazil begin by the Schoenmaker family in 1959 to grow gladiolas. Though not mentioned on their website, Gerard Endenburg consulted with the owner in the 1970s to develop the company using sociocracy. They now have more than a thousand workers and focus on bulbs and plants for [...]

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Semco, São Paulo, Brazil

In the Workplace

Throughout Maverick, Ricardo Semler’s book on the development of his corporation Semco, he expresses and implements ideas that are hauntingly similar to those of Gerard Endenburg. Semler calls his method “open management” and refers to democracy for workers. He never mentions Endenburg’s “sociocratic-circle-organization.” What was the connection between the ideas of Semler and Endenburg? Between [...]

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