How do we ensure that Planet Earth is habitable, but also liveable, for our (grand)children's (grand)children? What factors are in play, and what should we consider? In this article, I attempt to get you, the reader, involved in (perfecting) a measurement system that could become a new standard to monitor sustainable development: the Sustainable Development Index.
Recent events in the United States have given us a good look at how a country fares when trust in its institutions is undermined by power-focused people's tribunals. This raises the question of whether we sufficiently realize the value of democracy to us as citizens. In this edition of the General Government Performance Index, I explore how democracy translates into tangible returns relevant to citizens.
There are bookcases full of books about populism. As faithful readers of my articles are aware, I can't regularly escape 'wondering' about this phenomenon. In this article, I examine what a vote cast on a populist party ultimately yields for voters. I distinguish between three scenarios: absolute power, opposition, and minority support government. For populist voters, the yield turns out to be very disappointing.
In democracies, it is the voters who determine who holds power. At the same time, however, companies and other organizations spend billions every year on lobbyists and other advocates who 'help' them to influence the same politicians and governments voted into office by the people. By nature, lobbying takes place outside the general public's view and seeks beneficial results for those employing them. In this article, I argue that in a democracy such as ours, this discrepancy between open elections and hidden influence is a reason for great concern. I also make suggestions for introducing better safeguards to prevent perverse incentives in political advocacy from undermining the structure and organization of our democratic system.
The current occupant of the White House has a personality structure that is difficult to reconcile with the democratic and separation-of-powers system of the country he administers. In this article, I elaborate on this fact and try to find out what we should fear the most if he wins the elections in November or contests the election results.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, 5.7% of the world's population in 2019, lived in countries that described as 'full democracies'. In 2008 this was still 14.4%. This fact should worry all of us deeply. How is this possible, and what does it say about us as citizens and about our politicians? Have we made the right electoral choices and do our politicians sufficiently protect us against lack of freedom, disorder and arbitrariness? In this article, I examine what forces threaten us and what opens the door to that which we escaped 75 years ago.
The Dutch depend on cooperation and compromise to keep their feet dry. For a country which is two-third below sea level, this is an existential necessity. They use the same approach in politics to broker solutions between parties with conflicting interests in complex matters. This model is also known as the 'polder' or ‘polderen'. The success with which the Dutch apply it to tackling complex issues proves it works. This article shows that the Netherlands is outperforming other countries in this area to the benefit of its citizens.
In the 2019 edition of my General Government Performance Index (GGPI), I focus on the influence that political systems such as the form of government and electoral system have on the quality of government administration. More specifically, I try to see if there is a relationship between these components and the level of government performance and income (in) equality relevant to citizens. In this article, I also present the results of the GGPI 2019.
The General Government Performance Index (GGPI) maps yields of government policy decisions benefitting citizens, against the burden to produce those. It provides a surprising insight into the results of policy choices made. In the 2018 edition of the GGPI, we also take a close look at how general government performance, translates into political support for the policies pursued.
What to do, if time and again, an organization looks away whilst playing a facilitating role in actions that profoundly affects the lives of young people. No, this is not about Facebook, but about the Catholic Church. It is time that the organization which knowingly and for decades looked away from abuse by its priests and protected those perpetrators, obstructed justice and withheld justice to the victims is being held accountable for its actions and omissions in this matter. This article investigates whether legal options are available.