Categoría: Think Tanks Página 9 de 10

Conscious Consumers of public policy

el 09/02/2009

When I started to study the think tanks phenomenon, one of the first organizations I visited was the Social Market Foundation. It was and it is a small socialdemocratic think tank. At that time, one of its outstanding members was Robert Skidelski, biographer of Keynes. Mr Skidelski left the SMF but the project continued. It is not a famous institute like others in Westminster, but I believe it is doing a good job.

A good example of the right way they are following is one their latest publication, Assertive Citizens: New Relationships in the Public Services In this report they explain that citizens are adopting in politics a similar behavior they have as consumers. They are active, they do not agree with any proposal from the public sector if they think the service is poor or does not fit their expectations. The consumer’s revolution has brought one of the main changes in our democracies. Citizens have waked up to asking for a good quality of products and services they demand and companies have been pushed to respond properly to the new rules of commerce.

Members of SMF believe that the new conduct is not valid only for economic matters, but also for politics. Voters want to participate in the way public services are delivered.

«Public service users are now more aware of their rights, expect a better service, and defer less to established sources of advice such as professional opinion. This creates profound challenges for the relationships between the users of services ? pupils, students, patients – and providers, such as doctors and teachers».

The Social Market Foundation considers this movement is positive for the growth of democracy, although it increases the challenges for a good number of professionals, like teachers, doctors and other public servants. The new environment asks for a revision of relationships and implies to respect more the opinions of citizens. The think tank recommends to reinforce the work in several areas:

Better training for teachers on how to cope with assertive parents

Teaching young people how to get the most out of public services as part of the citizenship curriculum.

The establishment of a co-production fund to serve all public service institutions.

The role of professionals must change.

The report helps us to discover another way to balancing the power in democratic societies. If politicians do not take into account the new political behavior of voters, they will have difficulties to win elections and, after that, to stay in Government.

Conclusion of the Last Davos Meeting: nothing

por Carlos Sotelo Enríquez

el 08/02/2009

en Think Tanks

When antiglobalization movements started to attack the millionaires’ winter holydays in Davos, the managers of World Economic Forum launched a powerful propaganda and PR campaign(Is there any difference?) to show the supposedly gently face of capitalist bosses. It was difficult to believe, but the fact is the WEF quits his conspiration tank brand and adopted the form of a sort of celebrities event where rich and famous demonstrate a deep concern over the hot issues of the world. I remember Sharon Stone asking for instant pocket money to the executives because she wanted to end the African hunger in two minutes, or something bizarre like that. If in the first era they did not have credibility because it was an encounter to slice the world and make more money, in the second era the forum disguised in a Hollywood show: so many celebrities, hundreds of empty words and high-tech public relations.

This year Davos has suffer from the same problem fairs and exhibits have in the middle of a crisis: lack of interest. In the Forum case, people are not able to easily smile and citizens are not very happy witnessing the Vips Parade. It seems that as journalists and other followers of the event were so distrustful with the final results of the meeting and nobody has paid the huge attention it has in other times. Certaintly, the public relations machinery of de WEF has turned to use a lot of web tools, like webcasting and podcasting, and fans of Mr Schwab, Bono or Michael Dell can follow the activities without the media. But a think tank meeting is not a Madonna concert, even as Madonna could go. They need the collaboration of media moguls and media stars. You know we have celebrities for every need.

I do not think that the Davos meeting has given any clear key in economics or public policy in the last ten years. But in other editions, correspondents were fascinated by the powerful people the meeting could congregate. The less important thing was the value of ideas. We were living in the economic paradise and Davos was like the Winter Festival for the enjoyment of fat (now slim) capitalists . The rest of us contemplated the spectacle and dreamed on the possibility of being invited as a young leader or a flamboyant millionaire.

Sadly, the Fiesta is finished. Now we discover the real dimension of the Davos Meeting: nothing at all. At least for me when I examine, for example, the main conclusion of the Congress and do not find something really outstanding:

“We have to address all the issues simultaneously and not forget any of them, like climate change. We have to involve all the stakeholders of global society in this process so that they feel responsible. Above all we need to restore confidence in our systems.”

Brilliant for a meeting named Shaping the Post-Crisis World. A popular proverb in my country says that ‘Para ese viaje no hace falta alforjas’. Instead of giving common-sense receipts, it is better to be quiet, specially if you claim to represent the wise and powerful men. Antiglobalisation movement, please, stand up! We urgently need fresh ideas.

Tomorrow’s (Progressive) Capitalism

por Carlos Sotelo Enríquez

el 07/02/2009

en Think Tanks

It is clear to us. We are not happy of some consequences capitalism has on us, poor people, but we would not like to return to obscure socialism. Marx and Lenin and their colleagues are interesting icons for a fashion show, but no body wants to believe in the cruel utopy they spread. However, as greedy capitalism has shown its ugly face for another time and we are not comfortable with the acceptation of the ciclical crisis theories, it seems to be a time for new melanges. Another ‘new’ version of a third way? Of course! Coming from beauty British of the postmodern Gauche Divine? You are all right!

It is the case of the Londoner Institute for Public Policy Research, a rich progressive think tank which contributed a lot to the Giddens and Blair’s way. It does not matter that the New Labour has been a huge fiasco, that it was a sort of compassionate capitalism of highly rampant politicians. Really I have not seen any big difference with the traditional European politics, a bit more balanced than the American one. In fact, the New Laborism political platform has been also so unable to predict and face the crisis. And I do not want to remember the disgraceful conduct of British Premier in the War against Terrorism invented by the Texas presidential lobby. Now, when Mr Gordon Brown is fighting with the remains of the Blair glory days, there is no difference with the typical liberal short term politics of other right-governed countries.

But a selfish utopian never sleeps. Leaders of IPPR, a think tank very smart in propagating its messages, have launched a new iniciative, Tomorrow’s Capitalism:

«The Tomorrow’s Capitalism programme will examine prospects for the future of the economic system through the lens of progressivism and social justice, involving some of the world’s leading experts and thinkers. Our debates will bring together economists, business leaders, politicians, policymakers and commentators».

With this programme they are going to address questiones like the growing of income inequality, the downward pressure on wages, the impact of current economic activity on climate change and the growing economic power of China and others (And our own decline, I presume). I am not very confident of the results, but I agree with the need to look for an alternative model to make politics and having a healthy democracy. Middle classes will be happy to know if researchers and experts of this project find a way to relax the growing social and economic pressure they face in everyday life.

The revival of Hayek

por Carlos Sotelo Enríquez

el 06/02/2009

en Think Tanks

I understand that in crisis times, everybody goes to the essential ideas or the founding authors. In the case of political economy, we see an interesting battle between the Keynes and Hayek fans. One group tries to reinvent the Keynes principles on public sector to justify the bigger participation of the State, and the other returns to the Austrian intellectual to arguing against the renaissance of controlled economy.

In this context, the British Institute of Economic Affairs, one of the most aristocratic think tanks of the world, claims for a review of the Hayek’s philosophy of economics and the free market. In particular, it recommends to consider the arguments Hayek offered in his classical work The Road to Serfdom .

«Hayek argues that totalitarianism does not result from a dramatic or sudden change in the popularly accepted role of government. Rather, societies drift into totalitarianism as a result of a long series of seemingly minor, incremental expansions of government activity».

hayek People from the IEA think that the crisis opens the opportunity to a more powerful State and will damage the future of economy and even democracy if the public sector grows without control. They believe individuals are losing their freedom and depending more and more on the ubiquous State. Although every citizen feels free, at least in his private sphere, the reality is he has given his independency to the political system.

The IEA says that in the last decades we have seen an apparent balance between a strong public sector and the maintenance of civil rights and freedom. However, recent studies point out that

«In large parts of Britain the economy is now dominated by government: the proportion of regional GDP derived from state spending in Northern Ireland is now 77.6%; in Wales it is 71.6%; in the North East of England it is 66.4%; and in Scotland the figure is 60.3%. By comparison, spending as a proportion of GDP in Nazi Germany was 34% and in Mussolini’s Italy it was 31% (1937 figures, see here). This is not to suggest that these societies were in any way preferable to contemporary Britain, but it does show that in terms of the growth of the state parts of the UK are in unprecedented territory by international and historical comparison».

It seems that this situation is similar in other Western countries. But the perception general public has about the crisis is that it is has been produced because of the lack of public control of economic and financial activities. How to explain this paradox? The first conclusion we can draw is State intervention is not being efficient. The public sector is wasting its resources and it will need to spend more of our money to recover a confidence which it has contributed to destroy. At the same time, the misconduct of many economic and financial agents shows that the Road to Serfdom it is not either an easy way. As it happens always with the ideas of great philosophers, they offer an inspiration, not a practical solution.

Another hard time for Africa

por Carlos Sotelo Enríquez

el 05/02/2009

en Think Tanks

International economic crisis has taken apart other big problems, like the weak global order. Sometimes I think Mr Bush and his Halliburtons have created the financial nightmare to move the political and media agenda from the disaster of war against terrorism to the economic matters. Even I believe they have chosen Mr Obama to become President and therefore avoid hard scrutiny over their mismanagement. The race question, the civil rights stuff and the spirit of Martin Luther King dominate the public opinion arena and hide other serious problems. You know it is easy to nominate a future President in conspiracy meetings of Skull and Bones, Bilderberg Club and others. There is not problem to find a dark rountdtable to make decisions on the future of the world without asking citizens, the supposedly bearers of the light of democracy. But who needs voters if can set up a Conspiration Tank?

My reflection is related to the lack of discussions about the global threats. Despite the dubious efforts of Dick Cheney and his Oil Brothers, the fact is that after seven years of strange wars, international balance is as fragile as in 2001. Even worse, as the United States have started their unstoppable decline. At this time, we do not have another superpower and it means no stability at all in the near future.

Terrorists have not been defeated. They are reorganised and have chosen other places to prepare a new season of their deadly war. Where are they? It easy to know, at least according to the opinion of Angel Rabasa, Senior Policy Analyst of the Rand Corporation. He says that Al-Qaeda has gone to Africa, making profit of the fact that

«The internal conflict and corruption enveloping weak African governments make it easy for terrorists to move, plan and organize»

In Radical Islam in East Africa, the expert argues that terrorist leaders have infiltrated in East Africa countries and are conquering the support of population. Although Africans do not like the Arabic Islam, they are accepting the work of charities, which offer economic aid and win the confidence of citizens. Mr Rabasa asks for the reinforcement of the coalition of the United States, the European Union and other developed countries to helping Africa in a economic and social progress which put the continent far from the dark side. Otherwise, we will add another very hot spot in the planet. We have not taking care of the hungry Africa because it was a not a menace to our welfare. But, lucky for them, we are going to change our mind. Thanks to terrorists. However, now the Western intervention is not going to be an humanitarian trip. The poor always pay twice.