Radical Democracy
Anyone following the Occupy Together movement has seen radical democracy at work. Volunteers form working groups. The working groups research and discuss the topic for which the working group exists, and then, once they have options to vote on, take it to the whole group. The whole group votes and then everyone abides by the majority. Sometimes there are non-binding polls to determine if the options are divisive are not well understood. It's a fascinating process, almost completely neglected by the mainstream press, and probably one of the most progressive structural elements within the Occupy Together movement. (Here's a .pdf that explains the process in more detail.)
Radical Democracy by C. Douglas Lummis is a book that can help explain the process of radical democracy as well as the importance of its theoretical underpinnings. At its best radical democracy isn't just about majority rules, but about constructing something new that no one group, or interest, could have created on its own.
Why this is progressive/liberal: The conservative/liberal division has been built into the federal government since its inception. During the Constitutional Convention there are very few people who believed that a total democracy would work as a way to govern a nation. However, some democracy was seen as a way to temper the dangers of Republicanism. Pure democracy couldn't work because the people couldn't be counted on to work in the nation's best interest. Sectarian politics and popular enthusiasms would detract from working for larger goals. On the other hand, while leaders should aspire to Republican virtue, history was littered with examples of the less-than-virtuous taking the reins of government. And so, the democratic republic was born. Ever since these two forms of governance have been fighting, just as the framers intended. The democratically-inclined have extended the franchise to more and more of the population, while those who favor the ideals of a Republic have worked to ensure that the levers of government are most likely controlled by a well-educated elite from privileged economic backgrounds. Liberals generally support the democratic republic, while progressives would like to see even more radical forms of democracy infiltrate many more aspects of society.
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