Part I. Introduction -- 1. Thinking about empoered participatory governance / Archon Fung and Erik Olin Wright -- Part ll. Case studies -- 2. Participation, activism, and politics: the porto alegre experiment / Gianpaolo Baiocchi -- 3. Democracy and development: decentralized planning in Kerala -- 4. Deliberative democracy, Chicago style: grass-roots governance in policing and public education / Archon Fung -- 5. Habitat conservation planning / Craig W. Thomas -- Part lll. Commentaries -- 6. Practice-thought-practice / Jame Manbridge -- 7. Reflections on what makes empowered participatory governance happen / Rebecca Neaera Abers -- 8. Toward ecologically sustainable democracy? / Bradley C. Karkkainen -- 9. Cycles of reform in Porto Alegre and Madison / Rebecca S. Krantz -- 10. Power and reason / Joshua Coben and Joel Rogers -- Part IV. Epilogiue -- 11. Countervailing power in empowered participatiory governance / Archon Fung and Erik Olin Wright.