Tools for Dialogue and Deliberation on Wicked Problems

What should Obama do Next?

In the build up to Obama’s inauguration on 20th January 2009 and across the new administration's first 100 days, Debategraph has teamed up with The Independent newsapaper in the UK to give the world a chance to map and think through what Obama should do next. Click here to see the map.

Peter and I will be working with the Independent's readers—and anyone who would like to join us in the process—to develop a series of interrelated debate maps exploring the key public policy and political questions facing Obama as he prepares for office.

We will also be drawing on Obama's published policy agenda and public statements.

To begin to seed the series, we have mapped Philip Bobbitt’s article The flag-waving is over. This is how the president can change the w... (examining some of the international policy options open to Obama), and Leonard Doyle’s Obama Starts to Build a ‘Team of Rivals’ (considering whether Obama should appoint Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State).

You can see the opening map on The Independent's website here.

All feedback and thoughts arising from GSm group members will be very welcome (either here or on the maps).

Comment by Twain on December 2, 2008 at 3:13: hi David,

This debategraph's becoming quite brilliant! Thanks for incorporating my suggestions.

A few more quick ones.

(1.) Triggers to the global financial crisis include:

* American banks sought better revenue streams with high-yielding, risky and complex securities (since yields on long-term US bonds had been depressed by heavy international demand).

* relaxed US monetary policies until 2004 (Fed rate, July 2003 --- July 2004: 1%). As a comparison between Jan --- July 2007 it was at 5.25%.

* crisis of confidence dislocated the money markets where ordinary investors are involved; they withdrew their savings (as in the case of Northern Rock and in the States forced the US govt to intervene with financial support to mutual funds).

Prior to this triggered contagion the confidence issue was purely institutional, so banks were reluctant to lend to each other. When it affected the money markets was when the crisis became acute.

(2.) In the Political Implications of the global financial crisis, one of the key debates is about the demise of exported American capitalism of the Wall Street variety:

* http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/2008/09/death_toll_for_american_capita/

(3.) In International Economy as well as facilitating the devaluation of the Yen, the Americans need to consider their policies re. the Chinese renminbi. There was a great article in capital.fr (in French about this; I'll try to re-find it).

Meanwhile this YouTube video is informative:

* http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SzF3jMYfVWo

(4.) Under technology there are are two strands related to green issues:

(i.) tech co's advancing energy efficiency through shared data centers --- please see Green Grid roster of companies here:

* http://www.thegreengrid.org/member_roster/

(ii.) Google itself has a made substantial investments and strategic moves into renewable technologies:

* http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/index.html

* http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10105175-54.html

* http://international.com.com/8301-11128_3-10044239-54.html

(5.) Under International Policy, with the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State there's some more material on what some of the topics may be:

* http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-11-30-hillary_N.htm

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully others will contribute material for the health care and domestic social policy spheres!

Comment by Ben Tremblay on December 2, 2008 at 5:25: "Hopefully others will contribute material for the health care and domestic social policy spheres!"
Really?
I'm not sure that would really be helpful ... David?

I could generate reams of lists.
Not confident that's the thing to do.

BTW I heard that Change.gov has declared /agenda/ to be CopyLeft ... or something like that. Oh, wait heh I think it's Mr. Price who blogged about it!

Comment by Twain on December 2, 2008 at 13:38: David,

May I suggest 3 tags to add to the Technorati list?

* Presidential Inauguration 2009
* Obama Inauguration 2009
* 20 January 2009

Thanks.

Comment by David Price on December 3, 2008 at 1:28: Twain,

Many thanks again for another great set of suggestions—which I'll aim to weave in the map over the next few days—and for the enthusiastic feedback. Both are ever welcome and very much appreciated.

David

Comment by David Price on December 3, 2008 at 1:53: Ben,

Thanks for the question. The map's open to anyone who is interested in contributing in any form—whether adding material directly to the map, adding comments here or elsewhere, rating the different issues, positions and arguments, embedding the map in a blog post, and/or drawing someone else's attention to the map.

...ultimately, its strength depends on many fibres overlapping.

David

Comment by Ben Tremblay on December 3, 2008 at 3:35: "its strength depends on many fibres overlapping."
Oh, hey, when have I ever preached otherwise?!

But as a weaver I know that stout cloaks don't come together by scattering fine yarn hither and yon.
But, since we're so rarely in actual sync, I'll explicate.

What I've seen over my 35 years as a principled practitioner is dissipation.
"In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king", so in that dissipation those who are even slightly systematic and disciplined or rigorous ... well, they seem enlightened.

But for me, in my book, as a democrat, it's not about venerating the few ...
... it's about enabling the many.

As I test I've shot-gunned resources at every opportunity all across the cyber cosmos ...
... and that data has become as though dust in the wind.

So yes, "Come one, come all, knives sharpened and pots mended" draws a crowd ...
... it doesn't coalesce knowledge.

I've been watching.
It actually doesn't.
I mean existentially.
Is why I set aside threaded comment forums and graphic concept mapping more than 5 years ago.

Comment by Twain on December 17, 2008 at 1:29: David,

Now Steven Chu has been appointed as Energy Secretary these previous comments of his may add to the debategraph:

* Steven Chu: factbox --- Reuters