The New England Town Meeting: Democracy in Action. By Joseph F. Zimmerman. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999. 248p. $59.95.

Abstract

With the exception of Jane Mansbridge's important and groundbreaking analysis of "Shelby," Vermont (Beyond Ad- versary Democracy, 1980), published scientific investigation of face-to-face democracy in the New England town meeting is almost nonexistent. Thus, Zimmerman's volume is not part of a genealogy of scholarship on what I call "real" democracy, to distinguish it from the direct democracy of referenda and initiatives with which it is often confused. For many years his interest has been what he terms (accurately) "law-making by assembled citizens." Given the general misuse of the term town meeting by politicians (which began with Carter and was perfected by Clinton), intent on cloaking a variety of self-serving public relations ploys in the robes of "pure" democracy, Zimmerman provides at the very least a much needed reality check for political scientists. In fact, in the popular American lexicon (and even in the understandings of many political scientists) town meeting has taken on a totally new meaning, as exemplified in Andrew Fergurson's essay ("Ye Olde Town Meeting Gimmick," Time, March 2, 1998).