Saying of the day: 8/1/13
“Greece – like Detroit but without hockey.” — Anonymous
A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
Extreme citizen action
Below the text of a petition to save the public toilets of the British city of Bath. One woman has pledged to occupy one of the toilets all day as a means of protest. Nearly 100 people have signed. …/… Dear Councill...
2014: Voting as European citizens
Excerpts below from an article in yesterday’s New York Times by Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Felix Marquardt, founders of Europeans Now. “The time is ripe for a transnational, transgenerational, transpartisan, grass-root...
Civic Work, Civic Lessons
Civic Work, Civic Lessons explains how and why people of all ages, and particularly young people, should engage in public service as a vocation or avocation. Its authors are 57 years apart, but united in their passion for publi...
Can Facebook remake government?
Excerpts below from an article in TechCrunch last about about the prospect of Facebook and other social media to remake government around the world. Is there hope? Mark Zuckerberg has a grand vision that Facebook will help citi...
Catalan Way Toward Independence
A recent press release on the Catalan New Agency describes an interesting form of citizen activism. “This coming 11th of September – which is Catalonia’s National Day – pro-independence supporters have organised...
What is the gagging law (UK)?
There has been a lot of talk in the UK about the so-called “Gagging Law” and its implications for democracy in Britain. Here the folks of 38 Degrees explain what all the fuss is about.
The YouTube citizen
Google and YouTube claim they can help teachers turn teenagers into better citizens. Watch the clip below to find out how.
Vote for Angie!
Fears in Germany that conservative voters may abstain from voting in the coming German national election. Their response: erotic dancers. Would the picture of this semi-nude performer inspire you to vote?
How to design a new government
With all the talk of public sector reform in Greece these days, it would not be surprising if a casual reader might ask, what alternatives are there to the current state of affairs? Where might one start to look? Fear not, Goog...
None of the above
Voters in democracies often express their dissatisfaction for the candidates, the parties, and, indeed, the political system itself by abstaining from voting on election day. (American voters may also vote for so-called “...
In praise of “person-centered” politics
Krysta Kalahani and Maria Patsarika, two of Politis’ regular contributors, enjoyed an exchange on Facebook this past weekend on the merits of “person-centered” municipal politics, inspired by a recent report, ...
Golden Dawn: before and after?
Excerpts below from an article by Clark Boyd of Public Radio International’s The World on possible consequences of the recent arrest of members of Golden Dawn. The author cites Politis’ good friend Brady Kiesling, f...
Your Country Needs You
Ahead of the Thessaloniki European Youth Capital 2014 year, the British Embassy in Athens is organising a debate at Thessaloniki Municipal Council Hall on Wednesday, 13 November 2013 at 4.30, open to the public. Four young spea...
…making more of a difference than anybody in government could possibly make
Politis has posted a lot lately on the potential impact of IT companies like Google on politics. George Packer has an excellent article just out in the New Yorker which examines the question in some detail. Many IT engineers an...
Public service is a calling — even when the government is shut down
Excerpts from an opinion piece in this past Saturday’s Washington Post by Ann Marie Oliva, director of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs. “The past two week...
Entrepreneurship in Greece: the state of play
Excerpts from an article in the Harvard Business Review by Michael G. Jacobides of the London Business School. “On the economic front, the government is trying its best to play up Greece’s ‘success story’...
How to make policy that is good and represents what people need and want
An excerpt below from an article by Brian Heaton in Governing relative to an Online Public Policy Simulator to be put into use in the US state of Massachusetts. “Estimating the financial impact of a new public policy is a...
Hands on the roof of the car
What say we reverse roles. A regular reader of Politis sent this arresting image our way this morning, with the following caption by Banksy. “The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules...
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