With the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer highlighting a cycle of distrust that threatens societal stability, prosocial action by NGOs has never been more important. While NGOs and businesses are more trusted than the government or the media, NGOs have slipped in their rankings in some countries – including Australia. International readers may find the following… Continue reading Social capital and the thickness of trust
Tag: trust
‘Curbing’ Social Responsibility – the new CSR
Government ministers’ rebukes of corporate leaders who comment on social issues have received news coverage again in recent days. The Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Ben Morton, criticised companies acting as “self-appointed moral guardians”. This is consistent with 2017 remarks by Minister Peter Dutton that companies should “stick to their knitting” rather than using… Continue reading ‘Curbing’ Social Responsibility – the new CSR
Golden means or ends?
The desirability of ethical behaviour is universally acknowledged, and this has been particularly evident as we review the findings of recent Royal Commissions in this country. Unethical decisions made by senior personnel holding ‘positions of trust’ appear to have been one of the consistent themes. Politicians, pundits and the media tend to characterise these behaviours… Continue reading Golden means or ends?
Separating the facts from their meaning
If you have followed this Blog for any length of time you will know of my commitment to evidence-informed policy and advocacy, so you won’t be surprised that I like to share resources and thinking which promote those positions. Bernard-Henri Levy’s recent article in Project Syndicate, Google, Fake News, and the Crisis of Truth, is… Continue reading Separating the facts from their meaning
Real world policy – 3 Free eBooks
Further to my previous post about public engagement in policy deliberations, public policy advocates will be well aware of the debate over whether ‘evidence-based policy’ (EBP) takes sufficient account of political realities. Most of us who have engaged in this activity realise that our messages need to be sensitive to the values of the stakeholders… Continue reading Real world policy – 3 Free eBooks
Hearts and minds in public policy
The importance of restoring regard for kindness alongside hard-headed analysis in public policy deliberations is highlighted in the new Carnegie UK Trust report Kindness, emotions and human relationships: The blind spot in public policy. The report argues “that the great public policy challenges of our time demand an approach that is more centred on relationships;… Continue reading Hearts and minds in public policy
Meanwhile, back in the real world …
While Environment Minister Melissa Price was suggesting that the IPCC climate change report was ‘drawing a long bow’ to recommend phasing out coal in favour of low-carbon energy sources, businesses, insurers, lawyers, accountants, peak bodies, and even Government regulators have all been getting on with the job – both here and internationally. In their December… Continue reading Meanwhile, back in the real world …
Climate change and the Minister’s ‘long bow’
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which has gained so much attention over the last couple of days, was met with a soft response by Environment Minister Melissa Price, which may not be all that surprising given her voting record on climate issues. Bob Ward’s Opinion piece in The Guardian notes that “the dangers if governments ignore efforts… Continue reading Climate change and the Minister’s ‘long bow’
Criteria for a Public Policy Business Case
In my previous post about a research project, in which two think tanks with decidedly different heritage and focus were invited to assess the same 20 policy initiatives using a common set of criteria (effectively a draft evidence-based policy standard), I mentioned that those criteria had been developed by Prof Kenneth Wiltshire AO, and previously… Continue reading Criteria for a Public Policy Business Case
Learning from others’ mistakes Part 8 – RSL Victoria
ABC News reported yesterday that RSL Victoria has joined its counterparts in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and RSL National (see earlier posts in this series), with the ACNC finding that it failed to meet a number of key governance standards. The standards concerned in this instance were: ensuring a charity has operated on a not-for-profit basis… Continue reading Learning from others’ mistakes Part 8 – RSL Victoria