The purpose of this project was to examine potential linkages between micro-involvement and macro-involvement. Given the recent upsurge in interest in employee ownership and participation, and evidence of an 'upward positive spillover' of democratic attitudes in those economies with high employee ownership and participation, this programme endeavoured to present a public debate on the extent to which organisational democracy and community involvement can strengthen broader civil involvement and participation in democracy at a time when Scotland approaches a key decision on its future.

The key objectives of the project were:

• To strengthen Scotland’s democratic processes by raising awareness of the benefits of organisational and community involvement in decision-making.
• To shape Scotland’s future by helping business, community and political leaders to understand the importance of widening participation on all three levels.

The key questions being asked were:

• To what extent do people learn about democracy through the organisations in which they work and the communities in which they live?
• What are the wider benefits of learning about democracy?

To address these questions, four workshops explored four different perspectives on the theory and practice of democracy at work and in our communities: employee voice at work; employee engagement within conventional companies; community ownership; and a review of policy implications following from the workshops.