ABSTRACT
Complexity requires hierarchy, or so it is commonly perceived. With more people doing different tasks, coordination demands timely decision-making, and everyone cannot be part of the deliberations. Putting someone or some group permanently in charge is one solution to collective action problems, but it has not been the most common one. Since few people relish either a loss of autonomy or taking orders from others, a wide variety of “power-from-below” political structures have developed that distribute responsibility, facilitate communication, and limit social inequality. This chapter uses examples from the Zulu of South Africa, the Tlaxcala of Late Classic Mexico, and Ukraine’s Cucuteni-Trypillia culture to illustrate how power-from-below systems worked. Although distributing decision-making and retaining autonomy did not necessarily prevent the rise of powerful leaders, power from below gives people a stronger voice in wider affairs, creating more resilient collectives than those based on more top-down governance structures alone.
