The author passionately sets out his argument for radical decentralisation of power as the only answer to the current crises in politics, trade, ecology, and international affairs.

In the midst of the Superpowers and the Third World, a new vision is emerging of a Fourth World, encompassing small communities as an alternative to the notion that “bigger is better.” Returning power to a personal level is one of the goals and Papworth provides some useful ways to meet the challenge he so eloquently describes.