Small is Powerful

Where did we get the idea that BIG is better?

Our belief in BIG has been manufactured over the centuries by powerful politicians, intellectuals and business leaders who have gripped societys collective imagination and refused to let go. Yet the legacy of vast concentrations of power in the state, corporations and the church is one of inequality and corruption. Our failure to challenge the stranglehold of big power has led to conflict, conformity and crippling dysfunction.

Consider instead a world where power is exercised by millions instead of elites. Small is Powerful explores politics, economics and culturethree areas where big power has taken holdand asks us to imagine a world where citizens get to tell governments what to do, where businesses are owned by their employees and customers, and where everyone is free to choose how to live.

This book reveals how, starting with the small revolution in the 1970s, small movements are intensifying today: millions are setting up their own businesses, grassroots initiatives are driving political and social change, and people are freer than ever to make decisions about how to live their lives.

But the battle is far from over. Those who believe in a world where power and resources are shared by everyone have a fight on their hands as the big power elites reassert control. In this impassioned and insightful case for change, Adam Lent shows us why now is the time for the era of small.