Jim Palombo/Politics

“Actionable Intelligence” 

Part II

Occupy Wall Street & The Rhodes Forum Redux

By Jim Palombo

Politics Editor 

Continued… (From Nov-Dec issue)

In last edition’s piece the notion of “actionable intelligence” – gathering and then putting into action knowledge/information – was referenced, as was my upcoming participation in the Rhodes Forum. This article is a follow-up to both of these. The first part, Occupy Wall Street, presents thoughts extended from my visit to Zuccotti Park in New York City just prior to my trip to Greece.  The thoughts reflect what should be considered an action plan that might develop from the frustrated yet powerful spirit evidenced amid the Wall Street demonstrations.

The second part, The Rhodes Forum, relays another action plan that follows from my participation in the Forum. The participation itself, among the many individuals from across the continents, was a most noteworthy venture. The issues, from political, economic and religious détente, to the environment, to technological modernization and global networking, to the roles of the media, education and the youth filled the conference discussions, as well as the intimate meetings that occurred at breakfast, lunch, dinner and after hours. And, while taking some time to see a bit of Rhodes, talking with the locals amid their economic crisis, I was provided with some sobering yet provocative thought, especially in terms of what I had just witnessed in New York City and was now discussing at the Forum.

That being said, the hope is that you find the parts, particularly in the context of action plans and the theme of education, significant in terms of concerns that relate to us all. And as always, please feel free to let me know what you think.

OCCUPY WALL STREET    

A criticism levied against the on-going demonstrations in the U.S. is that they appear disjointed and/or aimless in terms of any detailed plan to address the myriad of problems on the table. In other words,  and particularly given the variety of people and interests involved, what is the formula by which meaningful, long-term, political and economic changes can be made? In that context, consider this. The fact that the demonstrations could appear “aimless” points to the very essence of a major problem we face in the country today. In short, without the adequate ideological analyses of the political and economic concerns at hand, how can it be expected that a purposeful plan to address and/or alter the course of global events be even understood, let alone developed? Furthermore, and as adjunct to the problem, even if an aim could be formed, given the fact that there is little trust that extends to the government, leadership, business, the media, etc. it appears that a receptive target is difficult to locate.

With this in mind, it is being suggested here that one of the primary aims of the demonstrations be turned toward the concerns raised via the Campaign for an Informed Citizenry (www.cicorg.com) In other words, as a demonstration’s “call to action,” it should be stressed that we need to develop better educational efforts from which to assist us and, very importantly, future generations in making more clear, consistent and informed decisions. And, as implied at the site, the target should be education, particularly the post-secondary arena, which has as its primary mandate better educating our citizenry. All said another way, it would serve the interests of the demonstrations and the global concerns they are tied to, to shift much of the focus toward that area best equipped to help us sort through the difficult problems we face. This may in fact, be the most effective strategy for improving our future possibilities. (The idea of improving civic education in the post-secondary arena could be actualized without much strain – by designing a series of one credit, interdisciplinary courses, administered at every year of the academic experience. The courses would integrate those experiences into ideological understanding, helping individuals on a consistent basis to better attach to both national and international concerns. It may also be that this move in the post-secondary arena would fuel similar attention – perhaps with the assistance of post-secondary players – at both the secondary and adult education levels.)

What is being proposed is certainly not a panacea, and the most effective results may not be as immediate as we would like. Yet, although work needs to be done to detail the process, the initiation of this type effort will provide the necessary focus, energy and spirit from which a better civically-equipped public will evolve, with solutions in the offing that may at this moment seem out of reach. We have done this with science and technology – it is no doubt time to do it with civic matters. All we have to do is look out our own doors to recognize the need.  The demonstrations certainly have provided the impetus. And it’s time for those in post-secondary education to make their move accordingly. (It may be time to lobby education, and those lobbyists who lobby for it as well!)

 The Rhodes Forum

As noted in the introduction, the Forum presented a grand opportunity to share thoughts and ideas with people from around the world. My particular role at the Forum was with the media panel, as a presenter of issues connected to my work as a public policy advocate and writer/journalist. In that context, I offered a review of the difficulties that exist in trying to discuss political, economic and social problems and strategies in a country that struggles with ideological understanding and dialogue. (See the May-June 2011 article in Ragazine, “When Ignorance Isn’t Bliss.”) And in addition to attending a variety of interesting and thought provoking sessions over the four days, I also addressed both the education and youth panels in terms of the model reviewed below. Again, this represents the action plan provided to the Forum in light of my participation. (For more on the Forum, please see www.wpfdc.org)

The Social Research Group Model

Consistent with the mission of the World Public Forum this model recognizes the growing need to develop better international dialogue concerning social problems, as well as the need to integrate the youth/student population in current and future policy planning.  And although it has been the tradition of the Forum to not extend itself beyond the discussion-dialogue agenda, this grass-roots, cost effective, non-partisan, integrative project speaks to the notion of “actionable intelligence” (knowledge, information and wisdom that can be acted upon), something that given its upcoming ten year anniversary, may well be of interest in terms of increasing the range of Forum objectives.

In its non-complex form, the model is presented in terms of small centers that would be part of/ annex university systems across the globe. Staffed by undergraduate and graduate students from any number of disciplines, and with faculty assistance, each center would be responsible for first articulating the ideological context (political and economic frame, with reference to any religious impact) under which the people of the country live. From this level, any number of social concerns (like crime, poverty, education, jobs, health, etc.) can be examined to ascertain the extent of the problems, as well what has been offered to address the problems. This information can then be measured against the ideological frames to better analyze the form, function and success of the policies in place. This analysis would also point to potential ways/designs for possible future strategies.

As the centers will be located in different countries across the globe, it will be expected that the information gathered, while valuable on its own, could then be cross-referenced with other centers studying the same social concerns at the same time under their respective ideologies.  This will provide the students with a grand communication tool, giving them the intellectual and practical power to think about important global issues, and to share their information accordingly. In the end, this should greatly improve understanding and dialogue from both ideological and social problem standpoints.

Several points should also be noted. The first is that the use of the internet, particularly the information provided by web strategists at the Forum, strongly supports the implementation of this international format. In other words, it is clear that there is significant opportunity to integrate the SRG model into an effective communications, website network. The second is that the organization of international centers can be initiated by universities whose countries were represented at the Forum. (Perhaps at the outset, a university in Russia, Austria and the U.S. would suffice, with more to be added as the format develops.) And, given that much of the resources are already in place within the university settings (particularly the student power/energy as well as interested faculty members) the cost of the program should not be restrictive. One can anticipate that with several universities and overall project development, particularly with the “grass-roots’ effort in mind, the initial year’s costs/budget would be minimal, especially as compared to the potential outcomes. (It could be that limited stipends will be provided to participating universities.) Finally, and related to both cost and awareness points, it should be expected that this format, once in place, would be attractive to any number of people and/or professional groups. This would mean that funding for center projects may well be available should this become of interest.

In short, this SRG model seems an ideal fit for the World Public Forum’s current and future plans. This is further evidenced by the acknowledgement given by those who participated in the Dialogue of Civilizations this past month, including those in both the Education and Youth Panel discussions. With this in mind, it is hoped that you will consider the support and development of the model in the context of a “World Public Forum project.” Again, it would represent a most fitting endeavor for the upcoming year, one that matches with the integrity and impressive agenda of what has already been brought to the Forum table in the past.

**It is no doubt that we have a lot of work to do, now and in the future. What is suggested in both the Occupy and Forum pieces is that education, with its mandate of making the world better understood, has its role in what we do and how we proceed. It may in fact, be the most significance arena we can turn to develop the long-term strategies and solutions we all hope will come. I will certainly keep you posted as to what develops with these possibilities.

General Research Concept Review

At each center, three levels of interest for creating a design from which problems can be analyzed and forecast. This would then allow for public policy input in terms of developing strategies and direct service practices.

Level 1) – detailing the economic and political ideological frame (including any religious references) – for example whether operating under corporate capitalism and democracy or state capitalism and socialism or communism, or under a certain function of church and state.

Level 2) – detailing social concerns – what are the social concerns and how are they integrated with the dynamics at Level 1? (What is implied at Level 1 as to what can occur at Level 2, and vice versa?)

Level 3) – detailing what social policy and practice exists – given output at Level 2, what should be recommended to address concerns in terms of both policy and practice?

**This process can be but into motion via the consideration of one social concern at the centers (crime for example) which can be plugged into the ideological frame and then examined as suggested.

About the author:

Jim Palombo is politics editor of Ragazine.CC. His bio appears on the “About Us” page.