Comments for Political Innovation http://www.politicalinnovation.org Innovative Conversational Politics Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 Comment on The problem with think-tanks: An alternative model by John Pollock http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2011/09/the-problem-with-think-tanks-an-alternative-model/#comment-186 John Pollock Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:25:00 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=523#comment-186 Investing in better writing - words which take time to craft but are more likely to get read - would not go amiss, either. Investing in better writing – words which take time to craft but are more likely to get read – would not go amiss, either.

]]> Comment on The problem with think-tanks: Quality by Dr Mick Phythian http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2011/09/the-problem-with-think-tanks-quality/#comment-184 Dr Mick Phythian Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:43:00 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=517#comment-184 A cynic’s guide to think-tanks   "A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time, and then keeps the watch” is a popular saying among people who aren’t fond of consultants. Advertising executive Carl Ally (1924-1999) was credited with the saying by 1965. Robert Townsend further popularized the saying in his book Up the Organization (1970).   Think-tanks are a bit like a collective for consultants who claim to be doing it for the public benefit whilst still getting paid over the odds. Whilst popular during the cold war, I suspect some of the recent growth of them can be identified if someone could count the number of think tanks appearing during the Blair government, or even towards the end of the previous one. An many have identified the same era saw a profound growth in the number of consultants working in government, a number of whom went on to start or work for think-tanks.   What are think-tanks for? I presume to give the harassed and over-worked a rounded opinion of what the current socio-political problems are, and how they might be dealt with by whoever is paying the piper/think-tank. But, as in the piper/consultant analogy, if you are paying, you also might be expecting to hear the tunes you want, otherwise, you won’t pay again. So, how prepared are you to ask for bias-free sounds from your think-tank? In that case why are there right-wing think-tanks, left-wing think-tanks and centre think-tanks, if the thoughts are unhindered and not marshalled for the listening audience?   As a busy professional I’m inundated by surveys. Some of whom go on to try and sell my hard-earned knowledge back to me. I take part in meetings attempting to extract and share best practice amongst colleagues, where the consultants in the audience go on to recycle to me as their hard-thought theories. Where does a think-tank improve on this (apart frm partisanship)? A cynic’s guide to think-tanks
 
“A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time, and then keeps the watch” is a popular saying among people who aren’t fond of consultants. Advertising executive Carl Ally (1924-1999) was credited with the saying by 1965. Robert Townsend further popularized the saying in his book Up the Organization (1970).
 
Think-tanks are a bit like a collective for consultants who claim to be doing it for the public benefit whilst still getting paid over the odds. Whilst popular during the cold war, I suspect some of the recent growth of them can be identified if someone could count the number of think tanks appearing during the Blair government, or even towards the end of the previous one. An many have identified the same era saw a profound growth in the number of consultants working in government, a number of whom went on to start or work for think-tanks.
 
What are think-tanks for? I presume to give the harassed and over-worked a rounded opinion of what the current socio-political problems are, and how they might be dealt with by whoever is paying the piper/think-tank. But, as in the piper/consultant analogy, if you are paying, you also might be expecting to hear the tunes you want, otherwise, you won’t pay again. So, how prepared are you to ask for bias-free sounds from your think-tank? In that case why are there right-wing think-tanks, left-wing think-tanks and centre think-tanks, if the thoughts are unhindered and not marshalled for the listening audience?
 
As a busy professional I’m inundated by surveys. Some of whom go on to try and sell my hard-earned knowledge back to me. I take part in meetings attempting to extract and share best practice amongst colleagues, where the consultants in the audience go on to recycle to me as their hard-thought theories.

Where does a think-tank improve on this (apart frm partisanship)?

]]> Comment on The problem with think-tanks: Quality by Rogerlwhite http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2011/09/the-problem-with-think-tanks-quality/#comment-183 Rogerlwhite Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:44:00 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=517#comment-183 Andy - I don’t disagree with the idea that quality is a problem but I don’t think it’s necessarily THE problem with think tanks.  I think the big issue is what you might call undeclared partisanship.  Most of them start with a fundamental set of beliefs rooted in a political or social point of view.  They then seek facts that support what they already believe in.  This is not research in an academic sense with a null hypothesis and a rigorous methodology to test it.  It’s fishing around to justify what they want to achieve.  That’s not to say they don’t sometimes come up with good ideas but that’s another matter. If people think my characterisation of “undeclared partisanship” is unfair just check out the names political think tanks use.  By and large they give no clue whatsoever to the political persuasion of those involved, while use of words like “institute”, “policy” and “research” imply a higher purpose.  Even their visions are sometimes bland enough to encompass anything from mainstream right through the centre to mainstream left.  But check who’s working for them and who’s on their board and then you know why they’re proposing what they are. Andy – I don’t disagree with the idea that quality is a problem but I don’t think it’s necessarily THE problem with think tanks.  I think the big issue is what you might call undeclared partisanship.  Most of them start with a fundamental set of beliefs rooted in a political or social point of view.  They then seek facts that support what they already believe in.  This is not research in an academic sense with a null hypothesis and a rigorous methodology to test it.  It’s fishing around to justify what they want to achieve.  That’s not to say they don’t sometimes come up with good ideas but that’s another matter.

If people think my characterisation of “undeclared partisanship” is unfair just check out the names political think tanks use. 

By and large they give no clue whatsoever to the political persuasion of those involved, while use of words like “institute”, “policy” and “research” imply a higher purpose.  Even their visions are sometimes bland enough to encompass anything from mainstream right through the centre to mainstream left.  But check who’s working for them and who’s on their board and then you know why they’re proposing what they are.

]]> Comment on No 4: See Change – opening policy research to the public by New Year: time for fresh thinking on school capital | The Centre for School Design http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2010/09/see-change-opening-policy-research-to-the-public/#comment-180 New Year: time for fresh thinking on school capital | The Centre for School Design Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:56:26 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=190#comment-180 [...] boundaries. How do we do this? Some of the fresh thinking comes from outside of the sector. Take Ivo Gormley’s idea on making short documentaries about the impacts of social policy. This has an obvious application at the grassroots level to education and school design. Similarly, [...] [...] boundaries. How do we do this? Some of the fresh thinking comes from outside of the sector. Take Ivo Gormley’s idea on making short documentaries about the impacts of social policy. This has an obvious application at the grassroots level to education and school design. Similarly, [...]

]]> Comment on No 8: The broadening inkblot: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs…) by PI No. 8: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs...) | Left Foot Forward http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2010/12/no-8-the-broadening-inkblot-self-improvement-for-people-who-read-newspapers-and-blogs/#comment-177 PI No. 8: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs...) | Left Foot Forward Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:01:17 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=461#comment-177 [...] This is a guest cross-post by Miljenko Williams, who blogs at 21st Century Fix; it was originally published on Political Innovation [...] [...] This is a guest cross-post by Miljenko Williams, who blogs at 21st Century Fix; it was originally published on Political Innovation [...]

]]> Comment on No 3: Assertion-flagging: for less partisan, prejudiced blogging by Political Innovation no8: The broadening inkblot: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs…) http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2010/09/political-innovation-no-3-assertion-flagging-for-less-partisan-prejudiced-blogging/#comment-176 Political Innovation no8: The broadening inkblot: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs…) Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:26:48 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=154#comment-176 [...] As it happens, such a database exists in prototype – thanks to a previous “Political Innovation” essayist. [...] [...] As it happens, such a database exists in prototype – thanks to a previous “Political Innovation” essayist. [...]

]]> Comment on No 8: The broadening inkblot: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs…) by Paul Evans http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2010/12/no-8-the-broadening-inkblot-self-improvement-for-people-who-read-newspapers-and-blogs/#comment-173 Paul Evans Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:44:00 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=461#comment-173 In the meantime, Ed, have you tried Google Reader? Make sure your blog is registered at www.poblish.org as well, but check out this post on Slugger O'Toole from a while ago if you like? http://sluggerotoole.com/2010/02/09/bloggers-v-journalists-redux/ In the meantime, Ed, have you tried Google Reader? Make sure your blog is registered at http://www.poblish.org as well, but check out this post on Slugger O’Toole from a while ago if you like?
http://sluggerotoole.com/2010/02/09/bloggers-v-journalists-redux/

]]> Comment on No 8: The broadening inkblot: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs…) by Ed Simpson http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2010/12/no-8-the-broadening-inkblot-self-improvement-for-people-who-read-newspapers-and-blogs/#comment-172 Ed Simpson Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:17:00 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=461#comment-172 Anything that makes delivery of all the blogs and writers that I like easier is a good thing. I'm new to blogging and already struggling to get through all the stuff I like to read each day. Some sort of automated delivery system would be a godsend. Anything that makes delivery of all the blogs and writers that I like easier is a good thing. I’m new to blogging and already struggling to get through all the stuff I like to read each day. Some sort of automated delivery system would be a godsend.

]]> Comment on No 3: Assertion-flagging: for less partisan, prejudiced blogging by The broadening inkblot: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs…) « Slugger O'Toole http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2010/09/political-innovation-no-3-assertion-flagging-for-less-partisan-prejudiced-blogging/#comment-171 The broadening inkblot: Self-improvement for people who read newspapers (and blogs…) « Slugger O'Toole Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:15:44 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=154#comment-171 [...] As it happens, such a database exists in prototype – thanks to a previous “Political Innovation” essayist. [...] [...] As it happens, such a database exists in prototype – thanks to a previous “Political Innovation” essayist. [...]

]]> Comment on No 6: Citizen-control of personal information by ID Cards may be dead, but the quest for your identity goes on | Centurean2′s Weblog http://www.politicalinnovation.org/2010/10/political-innovation-no6-citizen-control-of-personal-information/#comment-168 ID Cards may be dead, but the quest for your identity goes on | Centurean2′s Weblog Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:23:58 +0000 http://www.politicalinnovation.org/?p=261#comment-168 [...] say that this data will be under your control is a deceit of huge proportions. To call it Citizen Control of Personal Data is an outright lie. Its the commercialisation of your personal data, and its being collected by [...] [...] say that this data will be under your control is a deceit of huge proportions. To call it Citizen Control of Personal Data is an outright lie. Its the commercialisation of your personal data, and its being collected by [...]

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