An Index of Articles on Governance


157: Corruption in America, by Loren Cobb

"Not a week goes by, it seems, without yet another revelation of corruption or cronyism and incompetence within the leadership and executive strata of these once-great United States. Each case is cause for dismay and anger, of course, but recent revelations coming out of the Department of Justice are of a different order entirely. It appears that the very ability of the American system of justice to detect, prosecute, and punish political corruption has been compromised..." [27 May 07]

128: Corporate Corruption, by Loren Cobb

"On my very first visit to Bolivia, back in 1998, I was asked to give a lecture on corruption at the Escuela de Altos Estudios Nacionales (roughly translated: school of higher national studies). Of course I knew almost nothing about the topic..." [1-Aug-05]

122: Powelson's Laws, by Jack Powelson

"Powelson's First Law is: "Power expands until other power stops it." Think of a jigsaw puzzle..." [29-May-05]

116: Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Loren Cobb

"I have just read a new book-length report from the American Friends Service Committee, entitled Putting Dignity and Rights at the Heart of the Global Economy. Here are my first reactions..."

112: A Portrait of Paraguay, by Loren Cobb

"A curious flavor of Orwellian 'double-think' pervades this energetic and entrepreneurial society, cloaking awkward facts behind a thin veil of fantasized normalcy..."

110: The Path to a Durable Peace, by Loren Cobb

"In my experience with the Third World, which began as a young boy living near a refugee camp in Lahore, Pakistan, peace is seldom threatened by military war between nations, even though these wars receive the most attention in history. The absence of peace is, instead, ..."

106: The Culture of Democracy, by Jack Powelson

"Is there a culture of democracy? Are there any common characteristics, or values, other than universal voting, held by all democracies and not held by others? This is a difficult question..."

102: The European Union, by Jack Powelson

"In 1948-49, as I was tootling back and forth between Frankfurt and Paris, friends on both sides of the border were talking about a "United States of Europe." They had in mind something like the "United States of America," but they had no idea how difficult that would be..."

89: Institutions and Organizations, by Jack Powelson

"In forming its Iraqi policy, the Washington administration does not seem to know that "organization" is not the same as "institution." What is the difference..."

80: Regulation, by Jack Powelson

"We do need regulations, but I ask: Who will do the regulating? It is not only the free market that allows people full rein with their selfishness. A government is also selfish..."

81: Governments and Corporations, by Jack Powelson

"Governments are monopolies, but corporations are not. I cannot think of any corporation today that does not fear its competitors..."

79a: Relying on Others, by Jack Powelson

"Some thirty years ago my wife and I planned a family camping trip. Our oldest daughter, Cindy (then a teenager), announced she would bring her boyfriend and they would sleep in the same tent..."

59: Is Reform Profitable? by Jack Powelson

"How are 'bads' (pollution, unsafe working conditions, unfair treatment of labor, etc.) converted into 'goods'? One way is to pass laws disallowing the 'bads.' Whoever commits them is punished. Another way is for 'goods' to become profitable..."

48: Accountability, Part 2, by Jack Powelson

"In the recent splurge of corporation scandals, our first thought is to strengthen the power of government to control them. This is vertical accountability. But I prefer sidewise accountability where, with a few exceptions such as children accountable to parents, there is no social hierarchy..."

47: Accountability, Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"From Enron, we have learned that corporations have no brains and no souls. Only the people within them have brains and souls. Without brains, corporations cannot think of their bottom lines. Only people can..."

4: Can Quakers Learn from the Russians? by Jack Powelson

"During the thirties my mother handed me a copy of The New Russia's Primer: The Story of the Five Year Plan, produced by the Soviet Government in 1930. I was most impressed by how the Soviets would hand power to the people..."

1: China, by Jack Powelson

"In 1433 the Chinese Emperor canceled the voyages of one of the world's greatest sailors, Zheng He, and from that point on China languished economically, and its people sank into poverty..."

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