ABSTRACT
Discouragement over modes of political participation seemed matched in the 1960s–70s by a hope that new and viable forms of participation might be found. Disillusionment with the political process was summed up in the statement that “participation through normal institutionalized channels has little impact on the substance of government policies.” 1 Several observers concluded that this disillusionment translated into a “society wide uprising against bureaucracy and a desire for participation.” 2 This desire for direct participation was furthered by the attempts of the federal government to mandate participation at the local level (starting in 1964 with the Equal Opportunity Act’s call for “maximum feasible participation”).
