We Live In Rapidly Changing Times, So How Do Governments Manage Uncertainty?

 

It has become obvious that experts need to be brought in when we have a large scale crisis, and even then we need to be cognisant of political interference. The financial crisis of 2008, the migration crisis of 2015, the pandemic of 2020 all revealed deficiencies in the way governments respond to uncertainty. Even with warnings, actual plans and structures having been put in place, most countries and institutions were unprepared when these crises hit. In order to better respond experts need to be brought in early, and civil society must be more thoroughly involved. After all civic institutions are generally closer to the ground and therefore have greater local knowledge with vital information than governments. There is a need for more diverse and comprehensive information that can increase the ability to deliver effective and rapid responses.

 Forced mass migrations are often the consequence of political turmoil or extreme climatic conditions. Governments around the world must become better at predicting and mitigating near-term political or climatical disasters. Financial and health crises need to be brought to equilibrium as soon as possible, a multifaceted, inclusive and analytical approach can ensure that we will be fairly well protected.

It is clear however that from recent events governments around the world are going to have to work overtime to gain back the trust of their citizens!