The authors challenge the reigning economic and political ideas of liberalism. Perhaps the central premise of this article is that the idea of long-term, sustainable development has been lost in the contemporary liberal whirlwind. Another shortcoming of such adjustments is the decimation of social programs as governments are forced to adopt harsh liberal economic policies. Indeed, a natural relationship exists between the two levels. The failure of governments in development has given birth to many citizens' initiatives.
Democracy lies at the core of such movements.
Those involved ultimately seek to participate in and control of their own futures. Such citizen initiatives spring up around shortcomings in environmental management and to fill the voids left by cuts in government spending, for example. A caveat exists in the measurement of the success of such groups. Furthermore, the ultimate success in sustainable development will not be realized until the representatives of such citizens' groups are elected into government positions. South Korea and Taiwan are offered as viable examples of this approach.