Pathways to Happinessfo

r are

as w

here

peo

ple

pay attention to what people think

government officials

do not feel

Pathways to Happiness are ways

people & government officials

between

to better the relationship

Communities everywhere

score low in

Government100= happiest

Let’s look at one aspect of government:

the feeling that government officials are paying attention

to what people think

On average, people feel local officials pay attention to what people think

a score below 40 means we do not feel local officials pay attention to what people think, below 60 means we feel indifferently

Courageous Policies

vote holiday (or weekend)

http://www.whytuesday.org/make-election-day-a-federal-holiday/

information about a vote holiday

Australia, Belgium, Brazil, India, Singapore

a few countries with not voting is illegal (punished by fines)

participatory governance

concept to implementation then measuring impact & assessment

people participating decide the goal of the policy, program or project

government officials goal is participation

citizens are involved at all stages of government:

and how it gets done

creates a virtuous cycle of citizen engagement & community well-being

resources for participatory governance

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/CUSP_110108_Participatory%20Gov.pdf

http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss4/art26/

a white paper:

case studies, tips and hard won lessons:

http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/lawmaking/gov-iceland-writes-worlds-1st-crowd-sourced-constitution.html

an interesting experiment – Iceland’s constitution:

participatory budgeting

Chicago was the first to try participatory budgeting in 2009

citizens decide how city, region or department spend funds

San Francisco, New York & Seattle followed

resources for participatory budgeting

http://www.participatorybudgeting.org/about-participatory-budgeting/examples-of-participatory-budgeting/

https://roarmag.org/essays/real-direct-participatory-democracy/

an interesting article:

more example programshttp://pb.cambridgema.gov/

example program

What’s it going to take?

activism

write letters & make phone calls to your local government officials

get involved in the political process in a way that feels good to you

get & stay involved in your local government

write op-ed pieces

talk politics – with an open heart

volunteer go to events donate small

band together

ask for support from like-minded organizations in your area

when you can, partner with other people & organizations

work with others who have like visions

when you can’t, bring other’s interest to the table anyway

insist

talk to your local elected and appointed officials

even as others you band with ebb & flow, keep on talking

don’t give up

keep talking to them

Other policies in the Pathways to Happiness tool series

Campaign finance reformGuaranteed basic income

Media reformMassive public transportation

Local food relianceVillage living (cities and rural)

Multi-use zoningPublic spaces

Political festivalsParticipatory governance

Participatory budgetingAnti-corruption policies

Transparency in governmentCompassion training for policeCommunity-based monitoring

Sousveillance Vote holiday

Vacation lawsFamily leave laws

Sick leave lawsFlex time and job share laws

Telecommuting policiesBabies at work policiesIntergenerational care

Department of neighborhoodsVolunteer programs

Mindfulness practice in schoolsSocial justice awareness raising

Mental health –priority counseling

We envision a world where all beings can thrive.

Can you envision it too?happycounts.org