ABSTRACT
A possible direction for systemic transformation of the United States is through the principle of subsidiarity, in which decisions are made closest to the people—at the state and local levels. This radical localism would create “a million utopias” in which communities set the terms of their own social contracts, based on an expansive notion of personal freedom and natural rights, more or less as they see fit. The economic, social, and environmental achievements of highly decentralized Switzerland are a model for what is possible, and for a country like the United States, given its polarization and diversity, this may be the most practical way forward.
