A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
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…making more of a difference than anybody in government could possibly make
Posted October 9, 2013 by Politis
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 and researchers, while apolitical at face value, have a deeply embedded belief in the social utility […]
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The virtuous cycle
Posted October 8, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Maria Tsiouri Why are the Swiss good at everything? ask the Huffington Post. People. “Countries that invest in human capital end up getting returns in terms of economic growth. And then countries that have that economic growth are able to reinvest further in human capital. So you have this virtuous cycle that’s established.”
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Waiting for a leader: a post-leftist appraisal
Posted October 7, 2013 by KK
A review by Krysta Kalachani of Alain Badiou, “Greek anti-fascism protests put the left’s impotence on display,” The Guardian, October 3, 2013. Here are my first thoughts but one has more to say. This is no ordinary article: one must read it carefully. There are some interesting views there, while one can find counter arguments […]
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Paid or unpaid?
Posted October 6, 2013 by M P
By Maria Patsarika As practitioners of public service and volunteerism, we encourage high school and college students to pad their c-v by doing internships. That leaves open an important question: Paid or unpaid? It may be more a matter of one’s own background, ambitions (and one’s family ambitions too) and personal understanding of why one […]
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Golden Dawn: before and after?
Posted October 3, 2013 by Politis
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, former political affairs officer at the US Embassy in Athens. …/… “[I]n the wake of the arrest of a number of […]
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In praise of “person-centered” politics
Posted September 30, 2013 by Politis
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, excerpted below, in the Thessaloniki daily Aggelioforos. We share an excerpt below. Krysta: I am coming to this article hot off a fcbk conversation with […]
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None of the above
Posted September 27, 2013 by Politis
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 “write-in” candidates whose name does not appear on the ballot.) In India, voters will henceforth have yet another alternative through which to express […]
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How to design a new government
Posted September 27, 2013 by Politis
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, Google has an answer. It is called Constitute. It works, too, according to a recent […]
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Vote for Angie!
Posted September 9, 2013 by Politis
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?
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Thessabike is here!
Posted September 9, 2013 by M P
By Maria Patsarika Beware Boris with your Barclays bikes; beware Copenhagen and Amsterdam: Thessbike is here! This was missing from our city, no doubt. A bike-renting service is now available in Thessaloniki at various hotspots downtown. For Thessabike to partake some of its predecessors’ success, however, cyclists need accessibility, safety and peaceful co-existence with pedestrians […]
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The YouTube citizen
Posted September 8, 2013 by Politis
Google and YouTube claim they can help teachers turn teenagers into better citizens. Watch the clip below to find out how.
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What is the gagging law (UK)?
Posted September 6, 2013 by Politis
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.
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Can Facebook remake government?
Posted September 5, 2013 by Politis
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 citizens in developing countries decide their own governments. It’s a lofty and partially attainable goal. While Egypt probably […]
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Catalan Way Toward Independence
Posted September 5, 2013 by Politis
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 the so-called ‘Catalan Way Towards Independence’ that calls for the independence from Spain. The gigantic human chain will cross Catalonia from North to […]
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@openkorinthos
Posted September 4, 2013 by KK
By Krysta Kalachani Very good site! It seems that it will be fully working in a few days, it is very new. Really interesting though. They are trying to bring Corinth’s citizens together, to spot problems in the area and find solutions, or find opportunities worth pursuing, among their goals is to act as mediators […]
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2014: Voting as European citizens
Posted September 3, 2013 by Politis
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-roots and crowd-funded movement to take European integration to the next level. And before forming a party, we should look to Europe’s success stories to determine what […]
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Freeman movement: government and/or sovereignty
Posted September 3, 2013 by DW
If you have a little time, this clip will explain why there should be no government. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RLHsH7XAkc
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When push becomes shove: getting citizens to act in their own best interest
Posted August 1, 2013 by DW
It was originally called the “Behavioural Insights Team,” a team of British policy analysts who employed psychological research to persuade citizens in the most subtle of ways to pay their taxes on time, get off unemployment, or insulate their attic. Now Canada has created a “nudge unit,” whose mission is to “nudge citizens into acting […]
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Extreme citizen action
Posted August 1, 2013 by Politis
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 Councillor Dixon, Please do not close our public toilets in Bath. Many people rely […]