horizontalism

English

Etymology

horizontal +‎ -ism. The sense “equitable distribution of power” is a calque of Spanish horizontalidad, originating from the 2001 protests in Argentina.

Noun

horizontalism (uncountable)

1. A political or social theory or system that advocates the equitable distribution of power in a society.

   Synonyms: horizontalidad, horizontality

   • 2004, John Cavanagh, Jerry Mander, editors, Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible, →ISBN, page 254:

     Horizontalism is not described as an ideology but as a relationship—a way of relating to one another in a directly democratic way while at the same time continually creating through the process of discovery.

   • 2018, Benjamin Franks, Nathan Jun, Leonard Williams, editors, Anarchism: A Conceptual Approach‎^[1], Routledge, →ISBN:

     The accounts Sitrin gathered from the direct participation in the Argentine uprising demonstrate that for many, horizontalism was perhaps an anti-ideological ideology composed of a fluid mixture of flexible, participatory, non-dogmatic values and practices oriented around consensus, federalism, and self-management.

2. (macroeconomics) An approach to money creation theory pioneered by Basil Moore which states that private bank reserves are not managed by central banks.
   • 2006, “Endogenous money, central banks and the banking system”, in Mark Setterfield, editor, Complexity, Endogenous Money and Macroeconomic Theory […] , Edward Elgar Publishing, →ISBN, page 171:

     Indeed, it has been said that in horizontalism, commercial banks lend to all who demand credit.

Derived terms

• horizontalist