is democracy a design problem?

Friday, September 18, 2009

Is Democracy a Design Problem?Yes. But it’s a little complicated.

Cusp Conference 2009, Chicago - 09/16/09Gong Szeto

@atomiota: twitter

“Redesigning Democracy” Cusp Conference 2009 Gong Szeto @atomiota

Product

Production

Stock, Bonds

Options on Stock

Hedge, Arbitrage using Futures on Steel, Light Crude; Options on Futures

Swaps, Forwards on Ford Credit vs. GM Credit

REAL ECONOMY$13.8 Trillion

META ECONOMY~$105 Trillion

Domestic

Professional

Community

National

Global

Environmental

Almost true

Want Democracy, Kill Democracy

“Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism”

Which is it?

Political Science = Boring

Economics = Boring

Geopolitics = Ideology + Trade + Resources

Democracy > Government

Democracy > Voting

Democracy = Capitalism

Capitalism = Freedom

Capitalism =Maximization of Production and Consumption

Liberty > Making serious coin

Liberty > Having the most toys

Democracy = Perfect

Democracy = Sure Thing

First, some people decide to have a democracy

They decide to create a system to govern themselves.the many decide who those few are

Or, a few people decide that they can govern a people

And create a regime of the few to rule the many

Throughout history, we’ve seen many variations,each with different emphases of state and economy

Gray = Predominance of The State over individual liberties both personal and economic

Blue = Predominance of an unencumbered “free marketplace” relative to role of The State

Throughout history, we’ve seen many variations,each with different emphases of state and economy

Economy

StateState

Economy Economy

EconomyEconomy

Gray = Predominance of The State over individual liberties both personal and economic

Blue = Predominance of an unencumbered “free marketplace” relative to role of The State

*: All these systems are all formal systemic responses to Capitalism, either PRO- or ANTI-eg: definition of private property ownership and means of production ownership

There are formal names to these different systems

Economy

StateState

Economy Economy

EconomyEconomy

Fascist Authoritarian Socialist Democratic Libertarian Anarchism

There are formal names to these different systems

Economy

StateState

Economy Economy

EconomyEconomy

Corporatist Planned-Mixed Mixed RegulatedCapitalist

UnregulatedCapitalist

Agorist

Comparison of Political-Economic Systems

Agorist

MORE STATE MORE INDIVIDUALREPRESENTATIVE

EconomyTheoretical

Agorist

MORE STATE MORE INDIVIDUALREPRESENTATIVE

EconomyTheoretical

LIBERTYORDER EQUALITY

Free Speech NO NO YES YES YES YES

Assembly NO NO YES YES YES YES

Religious Freedom NO NO YES YES YES YES

Free Press NO NO YES YES YES YES

Free Elections NO NO YES YES YES YES

Private Property NO YES YES YES YES YES

Production STATE MIXED MIXED FREE FREE FREE

Health Care STATE STATE MIXED FREE MARKET FREE MARKET FREE MARKET

Economy PLANNED PLANNED MIXED MIXED-FREE FREE FREE

# Political Parties 1 1 2++ 2 PRIMARY “1” 0

Raison d’etre? Nationalism Anti-class conflict Egalitarianism Liberty Gov’t Dangerous Gov’t Illegitimate

Fascist Autocratic Socialist Democratic Libertarian Anarchic

Extreme EconomicLiberty

Extreme PersonalLiberty

StateState

EconomyEconomy Economy

Communist Autocracy“Planned-Market” Economy

Representative Democracy“Free Market” Economy

Socialist Democracy“Mixed” Economy

StateState

Non-Profits

Non-ProfitsNon-Profits

StateState

Non-Profits

NO Civil Rights/AssemblyNO Freedom of SpeechNO Free ElectionsNO Freedom of ReligionNO Free PressYES Universal Health CareSOME Private Property RightsYES Pursue Personal Profit

YES Civil Rights/AssemblyYES Freedom of SpeechYES Free ElectionsYES Freedom of ReligionYES Free PressNO Universal Health CareYES Private Property RightsYES Pursue Personal Profit

YES Civil Rights/AssemblyYES Freedom of SpeechYES Free ElectionsYES Freedom of ReligionYES Free PressYES Universal Health CareMOST Private Property RightsYES Pursue Personal Profit

Non-Profits

StateState

Non-Profits

$39Kper capita

income$47K

per capitaincome

Non-Profits$6Kper capita

income

StateState

Non-Profits

Non-Profits$4.4TGDP

$13.8TGDP

$338BGDP

StateState

Non-Profits

Non-Profits$16BTrade

Surplus

$27.4BTradeDeficit

$1.7BTrade

Surplus

StateState

Non-Profits

#4Least

Corrupt#17Least

CorruptNon-Profits#57

LeastCorrupt

StateState

Non-Profits

#1Democracy

Index#18

DemocracyIndex

Non-Profits#136Democracy

StateState

Non-Profits

0%below nat’lpoverty line

12%below nat’lpoverty line

Non-Profits8%below nat’lpoverty line

StateState

Non-Profits

12# times

“democracy”mentioned inconstitution

0# times

3# times

StateState

Non-Profits

Non-ProfitsGuns?ILLEGAL

Guns?HELL YES

Guns?DEPENDS

StateState

Non-Profits

CapitalPunishment?

CapitalPunishment?VARIES BY

CapitalPunishment?

FORBIDDEN

MOBILE

Democracy and Capitalism

Double Helix?

Democracy

Capitalism

Voting and Swiping?

Democracy Capitalism

“Buying In” and “Buying & Selling”?

Mindshare and Marketshare?

Moral Sentiment and Price Sentiment?

Operating Principles and Operating Systems?

Two rulebooks

Equality

Wealth, Power, Status

Basic Needs, Survival

“Homo-Democraticus”(~cooperation)

“Homo-Economicus”(~competition)

Democracy’s Two Main Concerns

Equality Order

Applying Set Theory

Equality Order

Civil Rights

Gender Rights

Race Rights

Due Process Nat’l Defense

Justice

Police

Rule of Law

Applying Set Theory

Equality Order

Civil Rights

Gender Rights

Race Rights

Due Process Nat’l Defense

Justice

Police

Rule of Law

EconomicEquality + Order

Anti-Trust

Contract Enforcement

Finance Regulation

Externalities

Wealth Redistribution

Social Nets

Equality OrderEconomic

Equality + Order

Capitalism

Equality OrderEconomic

Equality + Order

Capitalism

MinimumInterference(De-regulation)

MaximumLiberty

Market takescare of mostthings

Social Contract...What’s That?

Stronger Regulations(Prevent Excesses)

Trade-off Economic Freedom for Security

Emphasis onSocial Safety Nets

Social Contract!

LIBERTARIAN Democratic Capitalism (“Freedom to...”)

LIBERAL Democratic Capitalism(“Freedom from...”)

Ideological matrix that emerges from thesetwo rulebooks

Left Right

State is Good

State is Dangerous

Left Right

State is Good

State is Dangerous

Personal FreedomEquality

Federal Government

Economic FreedomOrderStates Rights

Liberal

ConservativeLibertarian

Communitarian

Social Order: Community

Social Order: Individual

Social Order: Nation

Social Order: Tribe

Ideological matrix that emerges from thesetwo rulebooks

Everyday Paradoxes

“Homo-Democraticus” “Homo-Economicus”

“I am against outsourcing American jobs” “I shop at Walmart”

Everyday Paradoxes

“I believe in strong anti-trust laws” “I own 1000 shares of Microsoft”

Everyday Paradoxes

“The Corporatization of America is bad” “My clients are all Fortune 500”

Hmm...

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

belongingness and love

air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, exercise, freedom from disease

protection, safety, order, law, limits, stability

family, affection, relationships, work group

achievement, status, reputation, respect of/by others

personal growth, self-fulfillment

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

knowledge, meaning, self-awareness

beauty, balance, form

helping othersto self-actualize

Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsUpdated (1990’s)

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

Where Design Lives

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

Where Design Lives

Capitalism(freedom to consume,allocation of capital)

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

Where Design Lives

Democracy(tribe politics,

how to live together)

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

Where Design Lives

Robust, Resilient Systemsand Experiences

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

Where Design Lives

self-actualization

cognitive

esteem

safety

transcendance

aesthetic

physiological

Where Design Lives

Moral Sentiment and Price Sentiment?

Context

Democracy - Capitalism = 0

Capitalism - Democracy = Capitalism

Democracy + Capitalism = AmericaAutocracy + Capitalism = China

Democracy + Apathy = Abuse of Power

Government + Corporatism = Fascism

Democracy + Participation = Accountability

Interests + Politics = Culture of Competition

Democracy + Civility = Culture of Cooperation

If Government = Public Goodsand the Free Market = Private Goods

then it is Democracy that decides the ratio

Design + Capitalism = Stylish Prosperity

Design + Democracy = ?(ballot redesign, election websites, presidential logos, and....what else??)

Thank YouGong Szeto

@atomiota (twitter)

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