By Andy Douglas
Ever wonder why our political systems seem to change so little, although the leaders we elect may vary? Perhaps it’s a systemic problem.
I’m not saying there is no difference between the policies and programs of the various political parties. I am saying that it seems to be in the interest of all political parties to avoid making the kind of systemic changes that would bring about lasting and beneficial change, including to create economic democracy.
Leadership is important. We see the results of defective leadership in many situations – wars all across the planet, economic exploitation, a lack of basic necessities for ordinary people, the climate catastrophe.
Brian Klass, associate professor of Global Politics at University College, London, has been attempting to discover how we can ensure that systems of power work for everyone.
He asks some basic questions. Do the worst people get power? Does power make people worse? Why do we allow the wrong people to be in power? And how can we ensure that incorruptible people get power instead?
One thing he discovered is that the systems around positions of power are extremely important. And we can design better systems.
For example, the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment allowed grad students to serve as either guards or prisoners. Almost immediately, the guards started abusing the prisoners. The lesson seemed to be – Put the wrong people in the wrong uniform, and they’ll become corrupt. The problem with the study, Klass believes, was that recruitment was flawed. People who wanted the guard uniform were more likely to be abusive in the first place.
This relates to something called self-selection bias. We wait for people to say ‘I should be in power,’ rolling out the red carpet for those who actively desire power.
Most people around you, Klass proposes, are good and decent. Why are people in power often not like this? It often comes down to self-selection bias. And this is why systems are important. The way you design a system can help put the right people in power.
For example, a Doraville, Georgia, police recruitment video featured the skull-like visage of the Punisher, a comic book hero who tortures criminals. The next scene shows a swat team riding in a tank, tossing smoke grenades. There’s a cross-section of the population who will say, ‘Yeah, I want to do that.’ This is a self-selection problem.
New Zealand did something different, by representing policing differently. In a promotional video, cops were portrayed as good-humored, helping professionals. The message was, ‘Do you care enough to be a cop?’ This attracted a very different demographic, including many more women and ethnic minorities. The country got better officers, who were public service-oriented, creating a virtuous cycle.
Evolutionarily, in a moment of crisis, Klass notes, there was certainly a survival advantage to picking a physically large man. But this is no longer true. However, strong-man leaders still activate this latent part of our brains. When Putin senses his public support lagging, he rips off his shirt and shows us his pecs.
We need to seek out leaders, Klass suggests, and not wait for them to step up. We need to invest in recruiting good leaders who, ironically, do not want to be in politics.
Ask the question of potential leaders: what do you want power for? And what would cause you to step down? Power is not a reward, but a price, the price you pay for a good society. It involves self-sacrifice.
This aligns with Prout’s perspective on leadership. Leaders should be selected by the people at large for their service-mindedness, humility and competency.
Leadership calls for a person to be authentic, service-oriented, and transformational. True leadership wields the tools of integrity, insight, and inclusiveness.
I like Joy Harjo’s take on this, paraphrased from her poem, “For Those Who Would Govern” (published in An American Sunrise, 2019).
Can you first govern yourself? What is the state of your own household? Do you follow sound principles? Look for fresh vision to lift all the inhabitants of the land, including animals, plants, elements, all who share this earth? Are you owned by lawyers, bankers, insurance agents, lobbyists, or other politicians, anyone else who would unfairly profit by your decisions?
Leadership is not imposed from above, rather, as Prout founder P R Sarkar notes in his 1969 discourse,”Nuclear Revolution,” it establishes itself through “dedication, sincerity, ideological zeal, fighting spirit and all-round capacity. Leaders gradually acquire such capabilities – step by step.” We can, it seems, seek out better leaders, and we can most certainly do more to shape the systems around how we choose our leaders.