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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy Mayors Should Rule the World
from OnTheCommons.org:
Why Mayors Should Rule the World
They can solve problems national governments can't says political theorist Benjamin Barber
| by Jessica Conrad
Democracy is in trouble, no question about that, says political theorist Benjamin Barber in the opening remarks of his TED talk earlier this year. We live in a world where immigration, terrorism, climate change, HIV, war, and markets are now cross-border problems. Yet when we look to democracy and politics for solutions, we are faced with archaic and increasingly dysfunctional political institutions designed for a 17th century world. Is the challenge of getting sovereign nations to agree to solutions on such polarizing issues insurmountable? Perhaps, but Barber believes we may already have a workable alternative at hand. For him, the answer surrounds nearly three-quarters of humanity: cities.
Civilization and culture were born in cities, he says, and the public commons spaces they harbor are where we come together to create democracy. Remember the series of protests in Cairos Tahrir Square where thousands of Egyptians demonstrated for political change, and the sit-in at Istanbuls Taksim Gezi Park against an unwanted urban development plan (which later led to protests across Turkey on a wide range of concerns). These are just two of many examples that involve citizens fighting in public spaces for their freedomactions which lead Barber to believe that we are a uniquely urban animal.
The natural corollary, according to Barber, is that its time for mayors to rule the world. Mayors are pragmatists and problem solvers. They wont allow the kind of paralysis were witnessing in Washington today simply because the buses must run. The sewers must drain. Barber says mayors have to put ideology and religion and ethnicity aside to get things done. Mayors usually are from the places they govern, and as a result, they have much higher levels of trust: while a mere 18% of Americans approve of Congress today, 70-80% of Americans approve of their mayors. ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://onthecommons.org/magazine/why-mayors-should-rule-world#sthash.pzcX3a12.dpuf
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Why Mayors Should Rule the World (Original Post)
marmar
Dec 2013
OP
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)1. Great idea!!...
Sid
K.O. Stradivarius
(115 posts)2. This man agrees...
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)3. Oh, please, no.
Ours is an asshat of major proportions.
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)4. Not all mayors are good
Some are, but keep in mind the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.