Why NEW RULES?
Because the old ones don't work any longer. They undermine
local economies, subvert democracy, weaken our sense of community,
and ignore the costs of our decisions on the next generation.
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) proposes a
set of new rules that builds community by supporting a humanly
scaled politics and economics. The rules call for:
- Decisions made by those who will feel the impact of those
decisions.
- Communities accepting responsibility for the welfare
of their members and for the next generation.
- Households and communities possessing or owning sufficient
productive capacity to generate real wealth.
These are the principles of "new localism." They call upon
us to begin viewing our communities and our regions not only
as places of residence, recreation and retail but as places
that nurture active and informed citizens with the skills
and productive capacity to generate real wealth and the authority
to govern their own lives. (Click here
for the answers to frequently asked questions about new localism.)
All human societies are governed by rules. We make the rules
and the rules make us. Thus, the heart of this web site is
a growing storehouse of community and local economy-building
rules--laws, regulations, ordinances, statutes--because these
are the concrete expression of our values. They channel entrepreneurial
energy and investment capital and scientific genius. The New
Rules Project identifies rules that honor a sense of place
and prize rootedness, continuity and stability as well as
innovation and enterprise.
Click on any sector listed on the left of this page and
you will be taken to a web page that contains a list of categories
of policy tools appropriate for that sector. Click on a policy
tool category and you will find a brief description of the
rule itself and a link to the actual text of that regulation,
statute, law, etc. for easy downloading.
This web site also contains a variety of information sources,
including a variety of on-line newsletters.
We welcome your comments.
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