The purpose of government is to produce beneficial change
One of our central concerns in this podcast is why government is so ineffective - why don't governments work? And while many roads have led to preferential lobbying, there is arguably a deeper, darker reason even than that: aimlessness. The result? Bureaucracy, shiftlessness, the famous treacle that blinds and obstructs us in our endeavours. But institutions - and individuals - are capable of great things, if they act in concert - which is to say, if they act with a sense of purpose.
What is the point of government? How do we fit into this as individuals? This principle may seem self-evident, but as we find out, it certainly requires to be reiterated.
Talking points:
It's not as simple as it looks
Hobbs and the pessimistic view
How do we fit into this?
Orchestrating change
Needs and myths of leadership
Clarity, purpose and mud
Beneficial change
Without purpose, there are various phenomena that present themselves
Privileging rules over purpose
What the purpose becomes in the absence purpose
Publicity, personal power, ideology, peers groups
Maturity and government
Breaking the inheritance
It worked for Germany and Japan post WWII
Cybernetic governance
Modelling beneficial change
Links:
Sasha Swire - British government is amateur (Guardian review)
Robert Cialdini - Influence
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