We live in a time when trust in government and politicians is in short supply. People claim to be tired of ‘experts’ and the divide between facts and opinion has been blurred. The art of offering simple solutions to complex problems is tipping the scale away from nuanced, multifaceted answers founded on compromise.
Within this context, governments nonetheless need to make difficult decisions, whether it is developing budgets, aligning priorities, or designing long-term projects. It is often impossible to make everybody happy, and the messy business of weighing trade-offs takes place.
While sometimes these tricky policy dilemmas are relegated to independent commissions or inquiries, or lately to referendums, a better method exists for solving them. This study of almost 50 long-form deliberative processes in Canada and Australia makes the case that adding informed citizen voices to public decision-making leads to more effective policies. By putting the problem to the people, giving them information, time to discuss the options, to find common ground and to decide what they want, public bodies gain the legitimacy to act on hard choices.
Politicians like to claim that they are “in it together” or “in the same boat” with their subjects. In fact, they are not. Should they be? To what extent? This book offers the first systematic treatment of these questions. It contends that, under the status quo, rulers do not have enough skin in the game; they do not...
This article explores the complex role of bouncers in Italian nightclubs. It argues that their actions reveal a profound intertwining of ideology and social practices, particularly the tacit acceptance of inequality as a structural component of contemporary social relationships. Bouncers serve as critical mediators bet...
Pietro Saitta· Journal of contemporary ethn...· 0 citations
It has been claimed repeatedly that transparency undermines decision‐making. The fear of disclosure means officials and politicians may not discuss policy fully, are inhibited from giving frank advice, and could avoid proper record keeping. The use of informal communications—particularly the use of WhatsApp—makes all...
Ben Worthy, M. Rosenbaum· Political quarterly (London....· 0 citations
Votebuying in Indonesia is hardly a new story. What makes it analytically interesting—and practically pressing—is how completely it has been absorbed into the ordinary logic of electoral life. Voters accept cash without guilt. Candidates budget for it as a standard operational cost. Enforcement agencies treat it as bac...
M. Fatoni· Indonesian Journal of Pancas...· 0 citations
Much has changed in US politics since the historic 2008 election. While the press covers the actions and agendas of the new administration, other impacts of this political shift have not received as much attention. These changes have forced the nation to rethink the necessary role of government, the role of the private...
Unknown authors· 1 citation
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