Sociocracy is based on 4 rules:
– the aforementioned consent: decision reached when no further objections
– circles: as decision-making structures parallel to the functional hierarchy
– the double link: linking circles of different levels by one person who is a member of both
– election without candidates : appointment by discussion then consent, without prior candidates
(objective criteria, range of choice not limited by a fixed number of candidates, no losers).
This form of governance was developed by a Dutch teacher (Kees Boeke), and then elaborated in detail by Gerard Endenburg, first to overhaul the governance of his company, then to enable its spread to other countries.
The term was first coined by Auguste Comte (1798-1857) to designate a form of government in which power would belong to Society (people with shared values and interests), as opposed to democracy (mass of the population with only a few values in common).
It deserves to be taught as a democratic pedagogical practice and practiced in the classroom in its simplest form (election by consent without candidates) to elect students.