Lappé makes the argument that what she calls "living democracy," i.e., democracy understood as a way of life, is not merely a structure of government. The three conditions essential for democracy, she writes in "Daring Democracy" and elsewhere, are the wide dispersion of power, transparency, and a culture of mutual accountability, not blaming. These three conditions enable humans to experience a sense of agency, meaning, and connection, which she describes as the essence of human dignity. Democracy is not only what we do in the voting booth but involves our daily choices of what we buy and how we live. She believes that only by "living democracy" can we effectively solve today's social and environmental crisises.