Undemocratic policy-making

Visualization of narrower problems

Name(s):

Non-corporate decision making

Insider policy-making

Policy-making conspiracy

Unrepresentative policy makers

Undemocratic government decision-making

Restricted access to policy formulation processes

Lack of organized participation

Non-participative decision-making

Exclusion from participation in decision-making

Inequitable decision making

Political exclusion

Incidence

There was no proper public discussion, not even a congressional discussion, of the presidential decision to send US Marines into Somalia in 1992. The decision was executed within a few days and most Americans heard about it on the television news.

Claim

1. There is a need for long-range planning to meet not only current policy requirements, but also the future implications of present decisions and policies. At present public agencies are no longer representative of the broad and varied populations they are supposed to serve. Policy making is seen as the responsibility of a few specialists, who consider the interests of only certain segments of the population. Consequently, policy decisions are made by few people with little accountability to local communities or the population at large.

2. The 'we' of administrations and supra-regional agencies is a solemn but contourless amoeba (Ivan Illich).

Broader

Undemocratic organizations

Undemocratic social systems

Irresponsible policy-making

Unorganized development efforts

Denial of control over own life

Contempt for democratic processes

Narrower

Lack of brainstorming

Policy-making by stealth

Limited decision-making context

Unrepresentativeness of trade unions

Victimization of grassroots knowledge

Limited access to technological decisions

Discrimination against women in public life

Limited access to natural resource use decisions

Non-participation of youth in decision-making bodies

Ineffectiveness of democratic consultation procedures

Lack of worker participation in business decision-making

Over-reliance on economic interest groups by policy agencies

Lack of participation of disabled persons in decision-making

Inadequate access of indigenous peoples to international decision-making processes

Aggravates

Rebellion ^{[in 10 loops]}

Inappropriate policies ^{[in 74 loops]}

Denial of political rights ^{[in 1 loop]}

Elitist control of global economy ^{[in 58 loops]}

Public resentment at government policies ^{[in 29 loops]}

Aggravated by

Social isolation

Authoritarian regimes

Deficient social planning

Fragmented decision-making

Messianic image of leadership

Decline in civic participation

Unadapted community structures

Complex government regulations

Undermining of multilateral forums

Interlocking corporate directorates

Arrogance of intergovernmental agencies

Restrictive organizational participation

Proliferation of public sector institutions

Restricted opportunity for community activity

Shortage of time for appropriate policy making

Inadequate models of socio-economic development

Lack of systems for achieving grassroots agreement

Centralized decisions on local technological innovation

Abdication of responsibility on achieving political office

Restrictive effects of tradition-bound community decision-making

Inability of elected representatives to process feedback from constituents

Strategy(ies)

Restricting access to policy formulation processes

Condemning undemocratic policy-making

Installing representative policy makers

Entering into conspiracies

Using social exclusion

Reducing inequality in decision making

Preserving inequality in decision making

Providing sufficient organized participation

Abstaining from organized participation

Type

(F) Fuzzy exceptional problems

About the Encyclopedia

The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential is a unique, experimental research work of the Union of International Associations. It is currently published as a searchable online platform with profiles of world problems, action strategies, and human values that are interlinked in novel and innovative ways. These connections are based on a range of relationships such as broader and narrower scope, aggravation, relatedness and more. By concentrating on these links and relationships, the Encyclopedia is uniquely positioned to bring focus to the complex and expansive sphere of global issues and their interconnected nature.

The initial content for the Encyclopedia was seeded from UIA’s Yearbook of International Organizations. UIA’s decades of collected data on the enormous variety of association life provided a broad initial perspective on the myriad problems of humanity. Recognizing that international associations are generally confronting world problems and developing action strategies based on particular values, the initial content was based on the descriptions, aims, titles and profiles of international associations.

About UIA

The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a research institute and documentation centre, based in Brussels. It was established in 1907, by Henri la Fontaine (Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 1913), and Paul Otlet, a founding father of what is now called information science.

Non-profit, apolitical, independent, and non-governmental in nature, the UIA has been a pioneer in the research, monitoring and provision of information on international organizations, international associations and their global challenges since 1907.