The Fantasyland of ‘The Spirit Level’ and the Limitations of the Health and Well-Being Industry. After years of the Thatcherite free market rhetoric has The Spirit Level turned things round? Not surprisingly things are a little less clear-cut than the thesis put forward by the authors. Essay by Gerry Hassan in Open Democracy 2010
he EU has failed its citizens. It runs amok directed by Germany’s ossified and frail leader Angela Merkel, and a political class that primarily values its own entitlement.
As Facebook and Twitter are purging alternative media outlets, a neoconservative operative at a US government-funded think tank says more censorship is on its way. Max Blumenthal and Jeb Sprague discuss how scaremongering over Russia and China is being exploited to silence dissent on social media
Resumé of Leggett's lecture by Nafeez Ahmed (June 2018) "Late last year, Dr. Jeremy Leggett — solar energy entrepreneur, former oil man and government advisor — gave an eye-opening talk where he for the first time laid out his vision for two possible futures facing human civilisation. Speaking at an event hosted by Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, he told a gripped audience that the world had approached a major convergence point in which our choices would rapidly close off either one of these possible futures. One scenario heralds the promise of a successful transition to a new, more evolved kind of civilisation. Another scenario warns of a future plunged increasingly into scarcity, despotic chaos and conflict."
Las plataformas digitales son un instrumento para democratizar la participación porque superan las tiranías de espacio y tiempo tradicionales. Pero la mejora de la participación democrática tiene niveles de cumplimiento variados.
The Market Police from Boston Review. In the neoliberal project, state power is needed to enforce market relations. But because democratic politics can demand broader economic planning, the site of that power must be hidden from politics.
Screpanti, Department of Political Economy and Statistics, University of Siena. This is a modified version of the Preface to the book (in Greek): C. Lapavitsas, T. Mariolis and K. Gavrielidis, “Economic Policy for the Recovery of Greece” Athens: Livanis, 2018.
by RUTH W. GRANT, Duke University, and ROBERT O. KEOHANE
Princeton University
"Debates about globalization have centered on calls to improve accountability to limit abuses of power in world politics. How should we think about global accountability in the absence of global democracy? Who should hold whom to account and according to what standards? Thinking clearly about these questions requires recognizing a distinction, evident in theories of accountability at the nation-state level, between “participation” and “delegation” models of accountability. The distinction
helps to explain why accountability is so problematic at the global level and to clarify alternative possibilities for pragmatic improvements in accountability mechanisms globally. We identify seven types of accountability mechanisms and consider their applicability to states, NGOs, multilateral organizations, multinational corporations, and transgovernmental networks. By disaggregating the problem in this
way, we hope to identify opportunities for improving protections against abuses of power at the global level."
In spite of clear popular support, Iceland's new crowd-sourced constitution was recently killed by politicians. An ex-member of the constitutional council sheds some light on what happened - and why there might still be some hope for this unique experiment. (Thorvaldur Gylfason)
What the future holds in store and what will be the fate of the bill for a new constitution is hard to say at this point in time. But what is evident is that the battle of “who owns Iceland” is being fought and is at its high water mark. There is much at stake. (Thorhildur Thorleifsdottir)
This Saturday, a year after a Constitutional Council has written a draft constitution with the help of citizens, voters agreed this draft should be the basis for a new constitution. This writing experiment stands out for its surprisingly democratic process, but a closer look reveals some of its limitations. (Giulia Dessi)
Bitcoin is already transforming the financial industry. The technology behind it – Blockchain – has great potential to revolutionize many other areas of our lives too. In my talk at re:publica 17, I explore Blockchain applications under way in the fields of nature, democracy and work.
Blockchain technology changes more than the financial industry. Scientists have proposed revolutionary concepts for managing our democracy, forests and other natural systems as well as the way we work. Discussing potential benefits and risks, Thomas Wagenknecht introduces “Futarchy” and similar DAO governance models to change political systems, “terra0” which proposes a self-owned augmented forest and a concept to compensate founders and employees.
People fighting for survival experiment with their own path to democracy in the Middle East. Not just another effort to carve out an ethnic niche, but to establish a multi-ethnic, multi-religious democracy.
There’s a new automated propaganda machine driving global politics. How it works and what it will mean for the future of democracy.
by Berit Anderson and Brett Horvath
"Targeted advertising allows a campaign to say completely different, possibly conflicting things to different groups. Is that democratic?"
"Cambridge Analytica isn’t the only company that could pull this off -- but it is the most powerful right now. Understanding Cambridge Analytica and the bigger AI Propaganda Machine is essential for anyone who wants to understand modern political power, build a movement, or keep from being manipulated. The Weaponized AI Propaganda Machine it represents has become the new prerequisite for political success in a world of polarization, isolation, trolls, and dark posts. "