The end of a stable climate, along with the end of cheap energy and the possible end of economic “normalcy,” could spell the end of political normalcy. If the U.S. election season is any guide, we may already be witnessing the early stages of a political sea change, as nativist protests against immigration and globalization in the United States and Europe—fueled in part by the failures of economies to deliver jobs and rising standards of living—have flummoxed establishment leaders.
On this episode of Locus Focus we talk again with Tom Prugh, senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute and co-director of the State of the World project, about creating a new paradigm of governance called deliberative civic engagement, which invites ordinary citizens to come together in an environment that encourages and supports calm discussion and decision making about the issues that affect their communities. We'll talk about how this form governing from the bottom up may be the only way to address the potential chaos that lies ahead.
Check out Tom Prugh's blog on Deliberative Civic Engagement.
- KBOO