11.9 City Olympics to Improve the World
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a few others would start this together. Wouldn’t that create a first-mover advantage,
which others would soon seek to copy?
11.10 Just a Thought: Regions Rather Than Nations?
The “glocality” principle “think global, act local” can be implemented in various
ways. For example, it might be beneficial to establish governance structures based
on representatives of regions. Global negotiations between nation states have often
failed, because nations have acted selfishly and often wielded veto powers. But what
if we built institutions that could make decisions from the bottom-up in parallel to
the top-down institutions we already have today? An institution such as a council of
regions, for example, might help to reach agreements that are better adjusted to local
needs and would provide more space for local cultures and diversity. We might even
have institutions working towards the same goals in parallel from the top-down and
the bottom-up. Wouldn’t such a competition between two institutional frameworks
accelerate progress?
To have a strong degree of legitimacy, regional representatives should be directly
elected. In order to avoid political casts, all adult citizens should be eligible to be
a candidate, regardless of whether they belong to a political party or not. Moreover, it would promote integration if all adult residents of a region (including
foreigners) would have the right to vote. Remember that lack of participation is
one of the most important factors causing crime, extremism and conflict.
To solve problems that have trans-regional relevance, the corresponding regional
parliaments could send representatives for a limited time into trans-regional and
global councils, which would be established to address specific problems. After all,
these representatives would know best how to serve the needs of the people they are
representing. To ensure flexibility and avoid accumulation of power and corruption,
the global representatives of the regional parliaments should rotate every few months,
or have a mandate which is restricted to certain subjects, or both.
11.11 How to Manage Our Future: Some Proposals
for Immediate Action
In recent years, I have spoken to a lot of people, many of whom expect that we will
soon see major changes. There are many signs that our world has become unstable
and that global conflict or war might result due to power shifts, but also due to
systemic instabilities that have internal rather than external reasons. If we want to
manage a smooth transition into a better future, we must change not only what we
are doing, but also the way we are doing it, and how we think about the world. In
237
a few others would start this together. Wouldn’t that create a first-mover advantage,
which others would soon seek to copy?
11.10 Just a Thought: Regions Rather Than Nations?
The “glocality” principle “think global, act local” can be implemented in various
ways. For example, it might be beneficial to establish governance structures based
on representatives of regions. Global negotiations between nation states have often
failed, because nations have acted selfishly and often wielded veto powers. But what
if we built institutions that could make decisions from the bottom-up in parallel to
the top-down institutions we already have today? An institution such as a council of
regions, for example, might help to reach agreements that are better adjusted to local
needs and would provide more space for local cultures and diversity. We might even
have institutions working towards the same goals in parallel from the top-down and
the bottom-up. Wouldn’t such a competition between two institutional frameworks
accelerate progress?
To have a strong degree of legitimacy, regional representatives should be directly
elected. In order to avoid political casts, all adult citizens should be eligible to be
a candidate, regardless of whether they belong to a political party or not. Moreover, it would promote integration if all adult residents of a region (including
foreigners) would have the right to vote. Remember that lack of participation is
one of the most important factors causing crime, extremism and conflict.
To solve problems that have trans-regional relevance, the corresponding regional
parliaments could send representatives for a limited time into trans-regional and
global councils, which would be established to address specific problems. After all,
these representatives would know best how to serve the needs of the people they are
representing. To ensure flexibility and avoid accumulation of power and corruption,
the global representatives of the regional parliaments should rotate every few months,
or have a mandate which is restricted to certain subjects, or both.
11.11 How to Manage Our Future: Some Proposals
for Immediate Action
In recent years, I have spoken to a lot of people, many of whom expect that we will
soon see major changes. There are many signs that our world has become unstable
and that global conflict or war might result due to power shifts, but also due to
systemic instabilities that have internal rather than external reasons. If we want to
manage a smooth transition into a better future, we must change not only what we
are doing, but also the way we are doing it, and how we think about the world. In