| The purest form of democracy is direct democracy. Although the United States claims to be the most democratic country in the world only a few states, including Rhode Island, at the local level govern using a direct democracy approach. However, according to Peter Roman, it appears to be a thriving form of government in Cuba. The purpose of this paper is to therefore compare and contrast the type of government employed at the local level in Playa, Cuba and in Lincoln, Rhode Island to determine if Cuba at the local level is as democratic as the United States. Based on a comparative analysis of Playa, Cuba and Lincoln, Rhode Island through a scholarly review as well as ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Lincoln, Rhode Island it was determined that Lincoln, Rhode Island and Playa, Cuba are equally democratic at the local level. |
