ICG Mission Statement

The Institute for Competitive Governance (ICG) wants to show the world a better way to better government by encouraging the research and development of relatively small but deeply innovative special jurisdictions. 

This sort of structural reform can put the power of private competition to work at finding new solutions to oldest problems of public life. As the world has grown increasingly complex and interconnected, governments’ reform efforts have fallen behind the pace of change.

Special jurisdictions, defined as areas exempt from one or more national laws, offer a tool by which countries can test new laws, implement international best practices, and ensure competitiveness for the 21st century.

Competition between special jurisdictions embodies the best aspects of market competition, ensuring that successful practices are rapidly adopted. China lifted 700 million people out of poverty in a large part due to the rapid expansion of special economic zones inspired by Hong Kong.

Their success, among others, has opened new vistas for improving governing services with narrow but deep reforms. The Competitive Governance Institute furthers this area of governmental innovation by generating scholarly work to inform policymakers about special jurisdictions.

ICG promotes the study and development of special jurisdictions through white papers, public education, and advice to policymakers. The Institute maintains a non-partisanship approach to its topic, however, seeking only the universally acceptable goal of improving human communities.

Types of Special Jurisdictions include:

Special Economic Zones; Special Jurisdictions with legal exemptions from select laws–typically, import restrictions and taxes–but sometimes with their own commercial codes, examples include Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Dubai.

Charter Cities; Mixed use urban developments administered by third party governments within a host country. Examples include Early American colonies, like Pennsylvania, and proposed contemporary ones.

Private Cities; Privately owned and operated mixed use urban developments.  Examples include city-sized HOAs like Highland Park, Colorado, and the Gurgaon in northern India.

Cooperatives; Communities in which the residents manage their jointly-owned property, examples include Co-Op City in the Bronx area of New York, NY, and Marilenda, Spain.

Microstates; Small states, often no larger than cities, examples include Liechtenstein, a microstate with one of the highest GDP Per Capita in the world. link

Why I’m Happy That We’re on Parler

Parler users have a reputation for being more conservative than users on other platforms, and more conservative than we are. It’s hard to know for certain, since it’s hard to experience a whole platform; and I’m sure many Parler readers (at least the ones who would read our posts there) are pretty similar to many of our current readers.

But let’s stipulate to Parler’s being more conservative. Let’s even stipulate that there are some people on Parler who have views that I not only disagree with, but outright revile.

Getting it Right

This week, Jonah brings The Remnant to you from the ice-wracked void of Austin, Texas. His guest is Stephanie Slade, the managing editor of Reason magazine.

Stephanie and Jonah provide some helpful explanations of what the oldest coalition of modern conservatism (i.e. “fusionism”) really is, who its members were, and what its political motivations were.

Then, in an instance of “violent agreement,” our two intrepid intellectual explorers refute the idea that this fusionist project is a “dead consensus” or that it necessarily precludes membership from libertarians.

Interestingly, Jonah thinks that the tensions within fusionism are strong enough that “it doesn’t make sense as a purely philosophical project,” but Stephanie is confident that American political history indicates that the tension between virtue and freedom is resolved within the fusion of these different branches of conservatism. link

Libertarian or Orwellian: What to make of the vaccine passport?

Heralded as key to returning to normal, the digital “vaccine passport” may offer a way to make things easier. However, there are many who baulk at the idea of the mass holding of personal data along with security concerns.
link

Lefties Have More Fun

“Left movements exude the zest of adolescence, which is why they can generate so much thrill and camaraderie and—when they occasionally succeed—such deflated confusion and hollowness.” link

Don’t confuse the left with liberalism

Many on the right blame “liberals” for the current spate of censorship and cancel culture. In doing so, they confuse liberals with leftists. There is a critical distinction.

Liberals are tolerant and open-minded. We welcome debate on divisive issues. We are even sometimes persuaded to change our minds. We try to disagree without being disagreeable.

We do not end friendships over political disagreements. We do not impose our values and preferences on others. We accept George Bernard Shaw’s admonition: “Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.” link

Oren Cass Urges Conservatives to Shed Free-Market ‘Orthodoxy’

Donald Trump: Can’t live with him, can’t live without him. Republican Party leaders aren’t expelling Trump from the party because, even though they lost the White House and both houses of Congress during his tenure, they’re afraid they would do even worse without him as their link to the working class.

But center-right thinker Oren Cass says there’s a brand of non-Trumpian conservatism that can win national elections by hanging onto working class GOP voters while appealing to culturally conservative Democrats.

Cass, who worked on Mitt Romney’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, says the key is jettisoning the party’s commitment to what he calls “market fundamentalism.” link

More Republicans than ever think a third political party is necessary, poll finds

Support for a third major political party is at an all-time high in the United States, a poll found. The Gallup poll found 62% of respondents think a third major party is necessary — the highest percentage recorded since Gallup says it began conducting surveys about third parties in 2003.

The poll of 906 American adults, conducted Jan. 21-Feb. 2, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. link

A New Counterweight to Stakeholder Capitalism

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has reshaped the relationship between shareholders and corporations. Previously, asset managers would put pressure on boards and CEOs when their share prices were underperforming, but under the new framework of “stakeholder capitalism,” boardroom fights are as often about carbon emissions as they are about capital efficiency. link

Libertarian Party meets

The Gila County, Arizona Libertarian Party meets at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Denny’s Restaurant, 312 S. Beeline Highway. The group meets in the far corner area, just look for the Libertarian Party sign.

All Gila County residents interested in learning more about America’s third largest and fastest growing political party are welcome to attend. For more information, please visit http://gilaazlp.org or call 928-468-3576