The Morazan Model Association
From Hollywood to Honduras: My Journey to a New Way of Governing
Joyce Brand
Saturday, December 07, 2024
From Hollywood to Honduras: My Journey to a New Way of Governing
In September 2019, I stood at a crossroads. After retiring from a career in feature film editing, I faced an uncertain future. I wanted to contribute something meaningful to the world, but I hadn’t yet found my purpose. A question from Peter Thiel’s Zero to One changed that: “What important truth do very few people agree with you on?” My answer became my mission—rethinking governance.
Most people assume representative democracy is the best system, despite its inefficiencies. I saw a profound alternative: voluntary contractual governance. What if cities could offer governance as a service, tailored to their residents, and free of coercion?
Inspired by Spencer MacCallum’s vision of entrepreneurial communities, I embraced the idea of free cities—societies built on consent, innovation, and individual empowerment. Within two years, I moved to Ciudad Morazán, the world’s first “entrecomm” in Honduras. It proved that governance could be reimagined and thrive.
Today, outdated governance systems are a barrier for entrepreneurs and investors. Bureaucratic red tape delays projects, while inflation and regulation hinder growth. Yet alternative governance models—like free cities, network states, and special administrative zones—are emerging as solutions. These communities prioritize voluntary participation, low taxes, and streamlined regulations, creating environments where innovation flourishes.
Morazán demonstrates how aligning governance with incentives works. Simple rules, like banning littering, foster community pride and improve quality of life. By focusing on safety, opportunity, and freedom, Morazán attracts residents from all walks of life.
The potential of voluntary governance is vast. Can entrepreneurship and technology create more just and prosperous societies? Morazán and similar projects suggest the answer is yes. For forward-thinking entrepreneurs, the future of governance is an untapped market waiting to be shaped.
For a deeper dive into discovering a new way of governing, read the full article on Substack.
Hi, I Am Joyce Brand
CEO Of Morazan Model Association
I am a woman who is passionate about freedom. I understand that freedom is an overused and misunderstood word. By freedom, I mean responsibility — specifically the responsibility of living without allowing any self-proclaimed rulers to make my moral judgments for me. A coercive government can impose negative consequences on me for disobeying its edicts, but I am free to the extent that I recognize my own responsibility for the risks I choose to take in following my own moral judgments. That is what it means to live free in an unfree world.
The label that I use to describe myself is voluntaryist because it is the clearest word I can think of to describe my most important belief — that all interactions between human beings should be voluntary. There is never any moral justification for the initiation of violence or coercion. The Morazan Model Association explores the implications of that core belief.
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