The other name for empowerment is informed decision making
In the age of consumerism, people have a right to choose from different products and services that are available to them. People can compare and contrast between different options that are available to them and make informed decisions.When all other sectors are positively responding to technology, why should not electoral politics move to the next level ?
The big idea, here is to identify and disseminate economic indicators at all administrative and geographical jurisdictions. Sophistry is for the weak and wicked. It is important to not bombard people with numbers and indices. So why not devise or identify easy to understand economic metrics (5 to 10 of them at the most) and make them available to people even in all vernacular languages.
As smart phone and internet penetration keep improving people get access to data and information. Using existing (independent !!) institutions, resources and without significant additional cost burden, it is possible to set up such a system where people can make informed electoral decisions. At the moment, in all parts of the world including the advanced economies, electoral politics are subject to all kinds of vagaries which we may not be proud of.
Also, as standards of living improve, people may no longer be direct beneficiaries of public schemes or at least one would expect so. In such a case, how do you judge the performance of your public representatives ?
When will people be empowered ? Not when some one belonging to their race, caste, creed, language etc gets elected to their public office. Not when they choose based on liquor or food or money they receive prior to voting day. The real empowerment is when people can make informed voting decisions based on unbiased numbers.
The big idea, here is to identify and disseminate economic indicators at all administrative and geographical jurisdictions. Sophistry is for the weak and wicked. It is important to not bombard people with numbers and indices. So why not devise or identify easy to understand economic metrics (5 to 10 of them at the most) and make them available to people even in all vernacular languages.
As smart phone and internet penetration keep improving people get access to data and information. Using existing (independent !!) institutions, resources and without significant additional cost burden, it is possible to set up such a system where people can make informed electoral decisions. At the moment, in all parts of the world including the advanced economies, electoral politics are subject to all kinds of vagaries which we may not be proud of.
Also, as standards of living improve, people may no longer be direct beneficiaries of public schemes or at least one would expect so. In such a case, how do you judge the performance of your public representatives ?
When will people be empowered ? Not when some one belonging to their race, caste, creed, language etc gets elected to their public office. Not when they choose based on liquor or food or money they receive prior to voting day. The real empowerment is when people can make informed voting decisions based on unbiased numbers.
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