Comments on: Mass compromise not mass personalisation http://publicstrategist.com/2010/07/mass-compromise-not-mass-personalisation/ Working to make government work better Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:01:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: martin stewart-weeks http://publicstrategist.com/2010/07/mass-compromise-not-mass-personalisation/comment-page-1/#comment-3748 martin stewart-weeks Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:43:15 +0000 http://publicstrategist.com/?p=1720#comment-3748 The issue, whether about which board game to play or how to reduce the deficit or bring peace to the middle east, is always the same. Who gets to be heard and whose ideas and insights are weighed? And who does the weighing and how? All of which are much more complex and interesting with the advent of the 'connected republic' in which distributed networks of people and ideas can influence in new ways. When we can be both more 'expert' and democratic at the same time (as Beth Noveck puts it) the game changes (or at least it should) The issue, whether about which board game to play or how to reduce the deficit or bring peace to the middle east, is always the same. Who gets to be heard and whose ideas and insights are weighed? And who does the weighing and how? All of which are much more complex and interesting with the advent of the ‘connected republic’ in which distributed networks of people and ideas can influence in new ways. When we can be both more ‘expert’ and democratic at the same time (as Beth Noveck puts it) the game changes (or at least it should)

]]> By: Public Strategist http://publicstrategist.com/2010/07/mass-compromise-not-mass-personalisation/comment-page-1/#comment-3747 Public Strategist Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:48:44 +0000 http://publicstrategist.com/?p=1720#comment-3747 In which case you could argue that rotational dictatorship <em>is</em> the compromise. You can see 'taking turns' as the sophisticated public choice methodology in other areas. Some people like parks because of the peace and quiet they offer, some people like them because they can be good venues for festivals and circuses. Having very quiet festivals or very small circuses satisfies nobody and is not a useful compromise. The solution is often to allow the festivals and circuses, but to ration their number, so that the peace and quiet is lost for some of the time but protected for the rest. And of course some might argue that 'rotational dictatorship' is as a good a description of parliamentary democracy as any. In which case you could argue that rotational dictatorship is the compromise.

You can see ‘taking turns’ as the sophisticated public choice methodology in other areas. Some people like parks because of the peace and quiet they offer, some people like them because they can be good venues for festivals and circuses. Having very quiet festivals or very small circuses satisfies nobody and is not a useful compromise. The solution is often to allow the festivals and circuses, but to ration their number, so that the peace and quiet is lost for some of the time but protected for the rest.

And of course some might argue that ‘rotational dictatorship’ is as a good a description of parliamentary democracy as any.

]]> By: Chris http://publicstrategist.com/2010/07/mass-compromise-not-mass-personalisation/comment-page-1/#comment-3746 Chris Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:15:25 +0000 http://publicstrategist.com/?p=1720#comment-3746 We like to play board games at family get togethers but find it hard to decide on what to play to keep everyone happy. My favourites are Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan but my father-in-law doesn’t like those very much; he prefers cards. My wife and her mother both favour Game of Life, but I don’t like that one very much. So we list the options, rank them in our order of preference and play the one that scores best. Nobody really loves Rummikub, but nobody dislikes it either. So while we each cancel the other options out it quietly comes out on top every time. And it always feels like a mass compromise. Eventually we get bored of democracy and go for rotational dictatorship. We like to play board games at family get togethers but find it hard to decide on what to play to keep everyone happy. My favourites are Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan but my father-in-law doesn’t like those very much; he prefers cards. My wife and her mother both favour Game of Life, but I don’t like that one very much. So we list the options, rank them in our order of preference and play the one that scores best. Nobody really loves Rummikub, but nobody dislikes it either. So while we each cancel the other options out it quietly comes out on top every time. And it always feels like a mass compromise.

Eventually we get bored of democracy and go for rotational dictatorship.

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