Movimento MAR

Rethinking how democracy is organised, connected and practised

What if democracy could scale to an entire country without losing the proximity, communication and participation that make collective decision-making meaningful?

Fractal Democracy explores this possibility through a decentralised organisational model in which participation and representation are structured across successive levels, connecting individuals and communities without relying exclusively on traditional representative institutions. Rather than concentrating decision-making power in increasingly distant structures, it seeks to establish a continuous network of participation, deliberation and collective decision-making

The Groups of 12

Small enough to participate. Connected enough to scale

At the heart of Fractal Democracy is a simple organisational principle: people are organised into groups of twelve, creating manageable spaces for direct communication, collective deliberation and decision-making

Within each group, everyone has the opportunity to contribute, raise concerns, discuss ideas and develop proposals. Rather than limiting participation to occasional elections or consultations, the group provides a continuous space for democratic engagement

But how can twelve people represent an entire community?

Explore the model

For a more detailed explanation of the Groups of 12 and their organisational structure, consult the accompanying document:

Explore the concept of Groups of 12 and how they work through the link; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FWn8FuGfcelDDOr-plv3aDAp5i4SfKSm/view, pages 17-19

To be up to date of what Movimento MAR is doing, check here; https://movimentomar.net/

The answer lies in the way groups connect

Each Group of 12 designates one of its members to act as its representative at the next organisational level. Twelve representatives, each coming from a different group, come together to form a new Group of 12

The original groups remain intact. Their representative simply provides a link between their discussions and the wider structure

This process can be repeated indefinitely:

12 people form an initial group

12 groups of 12 connect through their representatives, reaching 144 people

12 groups of 144 form another level, reaching 1,728 people

12 groups of 1,728 connect at the next level, reaching 20,736 people

And so on

At every level, the group retains the same twelve-member structure, while its collective reach expands twelvefold

Representation can also be organised through rotation, ensuring that every member has the opportunity to take on this responsibility rather than allowing it to become a permanent position

The result is a recursive organisational structure that combines direct participation at the grassroots level with coordination and representation at increasingly larger scales

The group stays small. The network grows