Edwin M. John, 76, of India studied philosophy and theology and secured a Master's degree in journalism in 1977 from the University of the Philippines. He directed South Asian Religious News and edited Health Action, a national monthly for health activism in India. Various processes in his life convinced him that unless people are organized through small-sized forums, and connected for power through the multi-tiered federations of these forums, not much could be achieved for social, political and economic liberation of people. Hence, he promoted neighbourhood forums of about thirty families each.

Then Inclusive Neighbourhood Children's Parliaments and their global networks emerged. Gradually he gave shape to neighbourocracy as an alternative political system and promoted "marketing-from-below." He gets invited to various countries to share the concept and related experiences. He has shared this concept at the UN, too, especially, serving as a Conference Focal Point for the Special Consultative Status that the Neighbourhood Community Network enjoys with UN ECOSOC from July 2017.