What is good governance? | Ben Warner | TEDxJacksonvilleSalon

Summary

The speaker discusses the breakdown of the social contract between citizens and government, emphasizing the importance of effective citizenship and good governance. They highlight low voter turnout as a sign of citizens not fulfilling their part and argue that governance should focus on outcomes rather than political personalities. The speaker calls for citizens to engage and demand accountability from their local governments, advocating for a shift from partisan politics to performance-focused governance.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The concept of government as a social contract is rooted in Greco-Roman democracy and biblical covenants, shaped by the Enlightenment.
• 🔄 There's a perceived breakdown in the social contract between the people and the government, with both parties not fulfilling their responsibilities.
• 🗳️ Effective citizenship involves more than just voting, but current voting trends show a lack of participation at various levels of government.
• 📊 Low voter turnout in national and local elections, as well as primaries, indicates a failure to meet civic duties within the social contract.
• 🌐 The speaker emphasizes the importance of private citizens in shaping democracy, quoting Alexander Walcott and Justice Lewis Brandeis.
• 📚 Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'The Social Contract' is referenced to highlight the importance of individual concern for the state of the nation.
• 🤝 The speaker calls for increased citizen engagement and a reevaluation of the systems that govern us, suggesting they are designed for the current outcomes.
• 🏛️ Good governance is differentiated from business and nonprofit models, emphasizing the unique role of government in stewardship of public goods and revenues.
• 🚧 Governance is about delivering public services effectively, not about partisan politics, which often distracts from the core issues.
• 🔧 The speaker argues that governance should focus on outcomes and performance, not on personalities or political posturing.
• 🌟 A call to action for citizens to demand accountability from themselves and their local governments, moving towards performance-focused governance.

Q & A

What is the core concept of the speech?

The core concept of the speech is the breakdown of the social contract between the people and the government, and the need for both parties to fulfill their responsibilities to improve governance and effective citizenship.

What is the social contract according to the speaker?

The social contract, as described by the speaker, is a mutually reinforcing agreement between the people and the government, rooted in the ideas of democracy from Greco-Roman traditions and biblical covenants, shaped by the Enlightenment.

What issues are suggested to stem from the breakdown of the social contract?

The speaker suggests that many of the issues seen in headlines across the country stem from a breakdown in the social contract, where either the people or the government are not living up to their responsibilities.

What role does the speaker emphasize for private citizens in the social contract?

The speaker emphasizes the role of private citizens to vote, engage, and hold public officials accountable, as part of their responsibilities in the social contract.

Why is voting considered a basic role of citizens in the social contract?

Voting is considered a basic role of citizens because it is a direct way for citizens to participate in the democratic process and influence the selection of public officials who will govern on their behalf.

What historical figure is quoted to emphasize the importance of private citizens' role in democracy?

Alexander Walcott is quoted to emphasize that democracy is broken because people are not making it work, highlighting the importance of private citizens' role in democracy.

What is the difference between politics and governance according to the speaker?

According to the speaker, politics is about individuals and often involves partisan attacks, while governance is about public officials taking stewardship of the public good, focusing on outcomes, and delivering what the people need.

Why is governance described as being more difficult than ruling?

Governance is described as more difficult than ruling because it involves managing complex systems, ensuring public good, and delivering services to meet the needs of the people, which is not as straightforward as running a business or a nonprofit.

What is the speaker's view on the role of government in comparison to a business or a nonprofit?

The speaker views government as a unique entity that is neither a business nor a nonprofit. While businesses have clear feedback loops like profit, and nonprofits focus on mission outcomes and funders, government's role is to provide services and ensure public good without the influence of partisan politics.

What is the speaker's call to action for citizens?

The speaker's call to action is for citizens to engage more actively in their roles within the social contract, demand accountability from local governments, and shift the focus from politics to performance-focused governance without partisan attacks.

How does the speaker illustrate the impact of a lack of citizen engagement?

The speaker illustrates the impact of a lack of citizen engagement through the story of an elderly woman in an economically distressed neighborhood who feels unsafe and desires functional street lights, showing how low expectations can reflect a broken social contract.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Breakdown of Social Contract and the Role of Citizenship

The speaker begins by expressing curiosity about the concept of government as a social contract, influenced by ancient democratic ideals and the enlightenment. They suggest that current issues stem from a failure to uphold this contract, with both citizens and government at fault. The speaker emphasizes the importance of effective citizenship, citing low voter turnout as evidence of a lack of civic engagement. They argue that roles extend beyond voting and reference Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'The Social Contract,' highlighting the danger of citizens disengaging from the state. The speaker also addresses the misconception of government as a business, stressing that governance is about public service and outcomes rather than profit or personal gain.

05:02

🔍 Demanding Accountability in Governance Beyond Partisanship

In the second paragraph, the speaker shifts focus to the importance of good governance, distinguishing it from politics, which they argue often revolves around personality cults rather than policy outcomes. They advocate for a return to performance-focused governance, free from partisan attacks. The speaker uses examples of essential public services that are non-partisan by nature, such as public safety, education, and infrastructure, to illustrate that the majority of government work is about execution rather than political spectacle. They recount a personal anecdote involving a community's struggle with local issues, emphasizing the need for citizens to demand better and hold their local governments accountable. The speech concludes with a call to action for citizens to engage and demand accountability from their governments, reinforcing the idea that democracy is only as strong as the people's participation in it.

Keywords

💡Social Contract

The social contract is a philosophical concept that describes the implicit agreement between citizens and their government, where both parties have responsibilities and rights. In the video, the speaker suggests that issues in society stem from a breakdown of this contract, with either the people or the government not fulfilling their roles. The concept is foundational to the video's theme, illustrating the mutual obligations that form the basis of a functioning democracy.

💡Greco Roman Democracy

Greco Roman democracy refers to the early forms of democratic governance that originated in ancient Greece and Rome. The video script mentions this as a foundational idea that contributed to the conceptualization of the modern social contract. It serves as a historical reference point to emphasize the long-standing tradition of democratic principles that are integral to the speaker's argument.

💡Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, individualism, and the questioning of traditional authority. In the context of the video, the Enlightenment is credited with shaping the ideas of the social contract and contributing to the development of modern democratic principles.

💡Effective Citizenship

Effective citizenship in the video refers to the active role that individuals must play in a democracy, including voting and engaging with the political process. The speaker criticizes the low voter turnout as an indication that citizens are not fulfilling their part of the social contract, thus affecting the health of democracy.

💡Good Governance

Good governance is a term used to describe the proper functioning of government, with a focus on transparency, accountability, and the delivery of public services. The speaker contrasts good governance with the current state of politics, arguing that governance should be about outcomes rather than personalities, and that it is the government's responsibility to uphold its side of the social contract.

💡Voting

Voting is the act of expressing one's choice for representatives or on issues by casting a ballot. The video highlights the low voter turnout rates as evidence of citizens not living up to their responsibilities within the social contract. Voting is presented as a fundamental duty of citizens and a measure of their engagement in the democratic process.

💡Citizen Engagement

Citizen engagement refers to the active participation of citizens in public life, including voting, attending meetings, and voicing their opinions on matters of public concern. The speaker suggests that increasing citizen engagement is crucial for improving the social contract and demands that citizens take a more active role in demanding accountability from their government.

💡Partisan Attacks

Partisan attacks are politically motivated criticisms aimed at members of another political party. The video script criticizes the focus on partisanship in politics, which the speaker believes distracts from the core issues of governance and policy. The speaker calls for a shift away from personality-driven politics to performance-focused governance.

💡Public Officials

Public officials are individuals elected or appointed to serve in government positions. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the role of public officials as stewards of the public good, responsible for managing public resources and delivering services to the people. The speaker argues that the focus should be on the outcomes of their governance, not their personalities or political affiliations.

💡Performance-Focused Governance

Performance-focused governance is an approach to government that emphasizes the measurement and evaluation of outcomes rather than the personalities involved. The speaker advocates for this type of governance, arguing that it is essential for holding public officials accountable and ensuring that they are effectively fulfilling their responsibilities under the social contract.

💡Accountability

Accountability in the context of the video refers to the obligation of both citizens and government officials to be responsible for their actions and to be held responsible for fulfilling their roles within the social contract. The speaker calls for citizens to demand accountability from their local government and for government officials to be transparent and responsive to the needs of the people.

Highlights

The conceptualization of government as a social contract influenced by Greco-Roman democracy and biblical covenants shaped by the Enlightenment.

The mutual reinforcement of roles between the people and the government in the social contract.

The suggestion that current issues stem from a breakdown in the social contract due to unfulfilled responsibilities.

The importance of effective citizenship and good governance as integral to the social contract.

Alexander Walcott's view on the responsibility of citizens in making democracy work.

Justice Lewis Brandeis' emphasis on the role of the private citizen in public affairs.

The low voter turnout rates in national and local elections as a sign of unfulfilled civic duties.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's perspective on the consequences of citizens' indifference to the state.

The need for increased citizen engagement to improve the social contract.

Dr. Henry Thomas' view on the systems being designed for the results we are getting.

The distinction between government and business, emphasizing the unique nature of governance.

The difficulty of good governance and the challenges it presents compared to business operations.

The confusion between politics and governance, with a call for focus on outcomes rather than personalities.

The non-partisan nature of essential government services and the need for performance-focused governance.

The anecdote of an elderly woman's desire for functional street lights as a basic community need.

The call for citizens to engage and demand accountability from themselves and their local government.

The final message emphasizing the importance of active citizen participation in maintaining a functional democracy.

Transcripts

well thank you I'm intrigued by the

conceptualization of government as a

social contract based on the Greco Roman

ideas of democracy and biblical

covenants shaped by the

enlightenment in this social contract we

the people and we the government have

mutually reinforcing roles and I'd like

to suggest that many of the issues we're

seeing in headlines AC across the

country today stem at its core to a

breakdown in that social contract with

one or both of us not living up to our

responsibilities so with your Indulgence

tonight I'd like to briefly address two

issues one is effective citizenship and

the second is good

governance Alexander Walcott once said

that he says I'm sick and tired of

hearing people say democracy is broken

of course democracy is broken we are

supposed to make it work

Justice Lewis brandise added on top of

that that the most important public

official is the private citizen so what

is our role as private citizens in this

social contract well I think we can all

understand that the very basic role that

we need to play is that of

voting nationally when we look at voting

trends in the 2012 Presidential election

less than

60% of the voting eligible population

cast a ballot for president in the 24 14

elections on the national level

37% of the voting eligible population

cast a ballot locally we're not doing

better in our primaries that we just had

this

year 27% of our population 18 and over

cast a ballot in the primaries for mayor

and if those Trends continue we are

about to select a mayor based on 133% of

our voting eligible

population may I suggest

we are

not as a nation or as a community living

up to our end of that social

contract and our roles go far beyond

just voting but I'm troubled when I

think of what jean jaac rouso wrote in

his book the social contract over 250

years

ago he said as soon as any man says to

himself speaking of public officials of

the state it doesn't matter to me

the state is given up for

lost so how can we possibly increase

citizen engagement how can we improve

our part of that social

contract Dr Henry Thomas liked to tell

me that uh the systems we have are

perfectly designed for the results that

we're getting so let's look for a little

bit at the systems all

right we like to look at

government through a particular

interesting lens we look at it through a

political lens um when we think about

what we need from government for it to

fill its side of the social contract

what we're looking for is good

governance but we tend to to look for

people who and vote them into office who

say things like well I'm going to run

government like a

business well government's not a

business a business has a very clear

feedback loop they can tell if a

business is doing well it's called

profit you can look at your segmented

targeted population your customer base

and say all right are my goods and

services that I'm providing are they

meeting with satisfaction are people

purchasing them are my sales and and

expenditures meeting my budget and you

can tell looking at the bottom line

whether or not you're being effective in

providing those Business Services

government is not like that government

is not like a

nonprofit nonprofits are focused on

meeting Mission outcomes and satisfying

their funders and that's not what

government is all about government is a

unique entity

and we don't think of it as such and

governing is hard good governance is

difficult ger like to say that ruling is

easy governing is difficult and and we

find ourselves in a time where we're

finding difficulties in governance

greater than

ever you see we we see this all clouded

with this political lens because

politics is not about governance

politics are about

individuals and in fact politics tend to

create party reinforced personality

Cults governance is more than that

governance is about public officials

taking stewardship of the public good

and of public tax revenues and

delivering to the people what they

need in short governance is about

outcomes not about people and we get

this confused because we hear people

talking about governance issues but they

tend to do so by with these partisan

attacks turns out that Public Safety is

not a partisan issue public education is

not a partisan issue roads and

infrastructure uh Debt Service garbage

pickup issuing permits and licenses uh

being able to to take care of building

upkeep and Fleet Maintenance those

aren't partisan issues a pothole doesn't

care what party affiliation you

have 90% of government is just getting

the work done and doing it well but we

don't talk about that governance we as a

people have been compliant in this shift

from policy to

personality from outcomes to

conversations about photo ops and uh and

ribbon

cuttings it needs to be more than that

we need to be involved in more than that

it's not going to change until we demand

change toward performance focused

governance without the partisan

attacks now we can do this we know we

can do this um we've seen how this plays

out but we also see how it plays out

when we don't do it well a few years ago

I had an opportunity to meet with a

group of citizens in an economically

distressed

neighborhood they were challenged with

developing an action plan where where

they could leverage local resources and

government action to create traction for

in their

community and one elderly woman spoke up

and said you know I don't feel safe in

my community but I think I would feel

safer if all the street lights worked

she was quickly shushed by the person

sitting next to her and said you can't

ask for too much put down we would like

half our street lights to

work is it any

wonder that in this

neighborhood and in neighborhoods of

across this country it feels like the

social contract is

broken now we have to do better and we

can do

better my call tonight is for us as

Citizens to engage and demand

accountability first of ourselves we

need to live up to our roles in that

social contract and second demand

accountability of our local government

our local government needs to provide

the governance that we demand and not

the politics

that

divide because democracy of the People

by the people and for the

people will only be broken if we the

people fail to make it work thank you

for being here tonight

[Applause]