Parliamentary or Presidential form of government? What’s in the name?

Both forms of government are dedicated to upholding democracy and ensuring the separation of power among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. They also aim to establish checks and balances within the system.

Warning: The blog can become a bit longer, but I will highlight key takeaway points.

Today, we will compare two countries: the USA, which is considered to have a presidential system of government, and India, which is known for its parliamentary form of government. We will discuss countries like the UK with a parliamentary system on another day.

Both of the countries select their head, in India, the head of the country is called the Prime Minister, whereas in the USA, they are called the President

This is how President of USA are selected:

The President of the United States is selected through a multi-step process that includes both primary elections and a general election. Here’s an overview of how the President of the USA is selected:

1. Primaries and Caucuses: Before the general election, political parties (primarily the Democratic and Republican parties) hold a series of primary elections and caucuses in each state. During these events, registered party members vote for their preferred presidential candidate. The outcomes of these primaries and caucuses determine the number of delegates each candidate receives.
2. National Conventions: Each political party holds a national convention, usually in the summer before the general election. Delegates from the primaries and caucuses attend these conventions, where they officially nominate their party’s candidate for President. The candidate typically selects a vice-presidential running mate during or before the convention.
3. General Election: The general election occurs on the first Tuesday in November of every fourth year. Registered voters across the United States cast their ballots for their preferred presidential candidate. However, voters technically vote for a slate of electors chosen by their party, known as the Electoral College.
4. Electoral College: In the Electoral College system, each state has a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress (Senators and House of Representatives). Most states use a winner-takes-all approach, where the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state receives all of its electoral votes.
5. Electoral Vote Count: In December following the election, the electors in each state gather in their respective state capitals and cast their votes for President and Vice President. The results are then sent to the President of the Senate (the Vice President of the United States).
6. Congressional Certification: Congress meets in early January to count and certify the electoral votes. If a candidate receives a majority of electoral votes (at least 270 out of 538), they are declared the President-elect.
7. Inauguration: The President-elect is officially inaugurated and takes the oath of office on January 20th of the following year, marking the beginning of their four-year term in office.

It’s important to note that the process may vary slightly between states due to differences in election laws and practices. The winner of the popular vote in each state typically receives all of that state’s electoral votes, except in Maine and Nebraska, which allocate their electoral votes based on congressional district results.

President and vice president of USA are not elected directly by citizens. Instead, they are chosen by “electors” through a process called the Electoral College. Each state’s political parties choose their own slate of potential electors. Who is chosen to be an elector, how, and when varies by state.

https://www.usa.gov/electoral-college

The size of the electoral college in the United States is 538 electors. Each state has a number of electors equal to the total of its Senators (always two) plus the number of its Representatives in the House of Representatives (which can vary based on a state’s population).

How Prime Minster of India is selected?

The Prime Minister of India is selected through a process that involves several key steps, primarily within the parliamentary system of India. Here’s how the Prime Minister of India is typically selected:

General Elections:

• The process begins with the general elections held in India, which determine the composition of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament. Lok Sabha members are directly elected by eligible voters from their respective constituencies.

Formation of a Political Party or Coalition:

• Before the general elections, political parties or alliances are formed, and each party or alliance fields candidates to contest the elections. These candidates compete for the 545 elected seats in the Lok Sabha.

Winning Majority or Coalition Support:

• After the general elections, the political party or alliance that wins an absolute majority of seats in the Lok Sabha (i.e., more than half of the total seats) is typically invited by the President of India to form the government.
• If no single party secures an absolute majority, a coalition government may be formed with the support of other parties or independent members to achieve a majority.

Selection of the Prime Minister:

• The leader of the political party or alliance that has secured the majority of seats in the Lok Sabha is usually invited by the President to become the Prime Minister.
• The Prime Minister is typically the leader of the majority party or coalition, and this leader is expected to command the confidence of the Lok Sabha members.

Oath of Office:

• Once invited, the selected leader becomes the Prime Minister and is sworn in at an official ceremony. The oath of office and secrecy is administered by the President of India.

Functioning as Prime Minister:

• As Prime Minister, the individual assumes the role of the head of government and is responsible for forming the Council of Ministers, which includes various ministries and cabinet positions.
• The Prime Minister plays a central role in the formulation and implementation of government policies, decision-making, and representing India domestically and internationally.

It’s important to note that the selection of the Prime Minister is based on the political party or coalition that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha. The President of India has a largely ceremonial role in this process and is constitutionally bound to invite the leader of the majority party or alliance to form the government. The Prime Minister’s tenure is not fixed but depends on the support and confidence of the majority in the Lok Sabha.

In summary, the Prime Minister of India is selected based on the outcome of general elections, party politics, and parliamentary support, making the position highly dependent on the democratic process and the will of the electorate.

So, basically, the Prime Minister is selected by the party or coalition that wins an absolute majority (i.e., more than half of the total seats of Lok Sabha).

The appointment of the President in the USA and the appointment of the Prime Minister in India are basically similar. Both processes depend on an absolute majority. In the USA, it relies on 538 electors, whereas in India, it depends on 543 Lok Sabha members. While voting takes place in the USA, in India, it is done through discussions among winning party members.

Legislative bodies of USA:

In the United States, “Congress” refers to the legislative branch of the federal government, which is responsible for making and passing federal laws. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning it has two separate chambers:

1. The House of Representatives: The House of Representatives, often referred to simply as “the House,” is one of the two chambers of Congress. It is the lower house of Congress and is made up of members known as “Representatives” or “Congresspeople.” The number of Representatives in the House is determined by the population of each state, with each state having at least one Representative. Representatives are elected by the residents of their respective congressional districts for two-year terms. The primary responsibilities of the House include initiating revenue-related bills and representing the interests of the people in their districts.
2. The Senate: The Senate is the upper house of Congress. Each state, regardless of its population, is represented by two Senators. Senators are elected by the residents of their respective states for six-year terms, with staggered elections ensuring that approximately one-third of the Senate seats are up for election every two years. The Senate has several unique powers, including providing “advice and consent” for presidential appointments (such as federal judges and cabinet members) and ratifying international treaties.

Key Functions of Congress:

• Lawmaking: Congress is responsible for drafting, debating, amending, and passing federal laws. Proposed legislation, known as bills, can originate in either the House or the Senate. For a bill to become law, it must pass both chambers in identical form and be signed by the President.
• Representation: Members of Congress represent the interests and concerns of their constituents, whether they are residents of specific congressional districts (House members) or entire states (Senators).
• Oversight: Congress has the authority to oversee and investigate the activities of the executive branch of government, ensuring that federal agencies and officials are acting in accordance with the law.
• Impeachment: The House of Representatives has the power to impeach federal officials, including the President, while the Senate holds impeachment trials and can remove officials from office upon conviction.
• Budget and Appropriations: Congress is responsible for approving the federal budget, including allocating funds for various government programs and agencies.
• Ratifying Treaties and Confirming Appointments: The Senate plays a critical role in ratifying international treaties negotiated by the President and confirming presidential appointments to key positions in the federal government.

Overall, Congress serves as a vital component of the system of checks and balances in the U.S. government, ensuring that no single branch of government accumulates excessive power. It plays a central role in shaping the nation’s laws and policies.

Similarly, in India we have Lok Sabha the lower house, and Rajya Sabha the upper house.

Now, let’s delve into the executive bodies and how they differ between the two countries:

The executive branch of the United States is called the “Executive Branch of the U.S. Government” or simply the “U.S. Executive Branch.” The head of the executive branch is the President of the United States. Members of the executive branch are selected through various methods, and the key positions within the branch are appointed by the President with the approval, in some cases, of the U.S. Senate. Here’s an overview:

President of the United States:

• Selection: The President is elected through a nationwide election known as the “Presidential Election.”
• Term: The President serves a four-year term and can be reelected for one additional term.
• Eligibility: To run for President, a candidate must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.

Vice President:

• Selection: The Vice President is also elected through the Presidential Election, but they run as the President’s running mate.
• Role: The Vice President’s primary role is to succeed the President in case of the President’s death, resignation, or inability to carry out their duties. The Vice President also serves as the President of the Senate and has ceremonial and advisory duties.

Cabinet Members:

• Selection: Cabinet members are appointed by the President and are subject to Senate confirmation (approval).
• Roles: The Cabinet includes heads of executive departments such as the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, and others. Each Cabinet member is responsible for overseeing a specific area of government policy and administration.

Federal Agencies and Bureaucracy:

• Selection: The heads of various federal agencies and departments are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
• Role: These officials manage the day-to-day operations of the federal government and implement the policies set by the President.

Federal Judges and Justices:

• Selection: Federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices, are nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate.
• Role: Federal judges preside over federal courts and interpret and apply federal laws, including the U.S. Constitution.

Independent Agencies and Commissions:

• Selection: Some agencies and commissions are led by individuals who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
• Role: These entities have specific areas of focus, such as the Federal Reserve, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Overall, the U.S. Executive Branch is responsible for implementing and enforcing federal laws, managing the government, conducting foreign affairs, and overseeing various aspects of national policy. The President, as the head of this branch, plays a central role in shaping the direction of the executive branch’s activities and policies.

The Executive Branch

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-executive-branch/

But how executive bodies in India works and how cabinet ministries of India is selected?

In India, ministries are selected through a process that involves the appointment of ministers by the President of India on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Here’s an overview of how ministries are selected in India:

General Election:

• Ministries in India are formed after a general election to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s Parliament) or following the formation of a coalition government if no single party has an absolute majority.

Selection of the Prime Minister:

• After the election results are known, the leader of the political party or coalition that secures a majority of seats in the Lok Sabha is invited by the President to become the Prime Minister.
• The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the political party with the largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha.

Appointment of Cabinet Ministers:

• The Prime Minister, once appointed, selects individuals to serve as ministers in the Council of Ministers, which includes various ministries.
• The selection of ministers is made by the Prime Minister based on various factors, including party loyalty, competence, seniority, and regional representation.
• The Prime Minister may consult with senior party leaders and take into account the political dynamics and alliances within the ruling coalition.

Allocation of Portfolios:

• After selecting the ministers, the Prime Minister allocates specific portfolios or ministries to each minister. These portfolios determine the area of government policy and administration that each minister is responsible for.
• The allocation of portfolios is typically based on the qualifications, expertise, and interests of the ministers, as well as the priorities of the government.

Swearing-In Ceremony:

• The selected ministers are formally sworn in at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the official residence of the President of India) in the presence of the President and other dignitaries.
• The oath of office and secrecy is administered to each minister, and they officially assume their roles.

Functioning of Ministries:

• Once in office, each minister is responsible for overseeing and managing their respective ministry’s activities, policies, and programs.
• Ministries play a crucial role in formulating and implementing government policies, as well as delivering public services in their respective areas of responsibility.

It’s important to note that the Council of Ministers includes various types of ministers, such as Cabinet Ministers (senior ministers), Ministers of State (with or without independent charge), and Deputy Ministers. The specific responsibilities and hierarchy within the Council of Ministers can vary.

Additionally, the composition of ministries may change over time due to reshuffles, resignations, or other political developments, with the Prime Minister having the authority to make changes as needed to effectively govern the country.

Here is the big difference in the selection of cabinet ministers in the USA compared to India. In India, cabinet ministers are selected by the Prime Minister, whereas in the USA, although they are selected by the President, it requires Senate approval (in the upper house) through a voting process. A majority vote of the Senate committee is required.

The confirmation of Cabinet members in the executive branch of the United States is done through a process involving the Senate. Here’s how it works:

Nomination by the President:

• The President of the United States nominates individuals to serve in various Cabinet positions, such as the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, and others. These nominees are typically selected based on their qualifications and alignment with the President’s policy goals.

Senate Committee Hearings:

• After the President makes nominations, the Senate holds confirmation hearings for each nominee. These hearings are conducted by Senate committees responsible for the respective Cabinet positions. For example, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee conducts hearings for the Secretary of State nominee.
• During these hearings, nominees are questioned by senators about their qualifications, views, and potential conflicts of interest. Senators may also seek assurances about how nominees plan to fulfill their duties.

Senate Committee Vote:

• Following the confirmation hearings, the Senate committees vote on whether to recommend the nominee’s confirmation to the full Senate. A majority vote in favor is required for the nominee to move forward in the process.

Full Senate Confirmation:

• The nominee’s confirmation is then considered by the full U.S. Senate. Senators debate the nomination on the Senate floor, and a final confirmation vote is held.
• A simple majority vote in the Senate is required for the nominee to be confirmed. If a majority of senators vote in favor of confirmation, the nominee is officially confirmed to the Cabinet position.

Oath of Office:

• Once confirmed by the Senate, the nominee takes the oath of office and officially assumes their role as a member of the President’s Cabinet.

The confirmation process serves as a critical check and balance in the U.S. government. It allows the Senate, which represents the states and their interests, to exercise oversight over the President’s executive branch appointments. It also ensures that Cabinet members are qualified and capable of fulfilling their roles effectively.

Confirmation hearings can be high-profile events, particularly when nominees face questions and scrutiny from senators and the public. While the process is designed to be thorough, it is ultimately a political one, with the President’s party typically having a significant influence over the outcome of confirmations.

In the United States, the executive branch is typically considered more independent than in India, primarily because it requires a broader consensus from the upper house. In contrast, in India, the Prime Minister has the authority to appoint ministers at their discretion, which can lead to a potential conflict of interest. For example, ministers may serve as mere marketing agents for the Prime Minister, aiming to enhance the Prime Minister’s image. It’s worth noting that, even though laws are meant to be the same for everyone, there can be discrimination in their execution by ministers based on their interests. One example of this can be selective enforcement of corruption laws, with a bias towards opposition parties, while members of their own party may go unpunished for similar violations.

To Do!

The USA has a two-party system. Is it because the USA has a presidential form of government?

How bill is passed in two countries?

No confidence motion versus impeachment.

Two-third majority vs Simple Majority

Power and independence of states and state assembly

How independent is judiciary in both the countries, and how judges are appointed?

Open-list proportional representation vs. Mixed-member proportional representation

This blog is a continuation of the discussion about proportional representation. You can find the main blog here in the link.

Do we need a supreme leader? How can we share power between parties?

Open list PR is about voter choice in selecting individual candidates:

Open list proportional representation is an electoral system used in many countries to elect members to a legislative body. It combines the principles of proportional representation with a degree of voter choice in selecting individual candidates. In an open list PR system, voters typically cast a vote for a political party and can also express a preference for specific candidates within that party’s list. Here’s how it works:

1. Voting Process:

• Party Vote: Voters cast their first vote for a political party of their choice. This is known as the “party vote” or “list vote.” It determines the overall proportion of seats each political party will receive in the legislature.
• Candidate Preference: In addition to the party vote, voters have the option to express a preference for one or more individual candidates from the party they selected. This preference can be indicated by ranking the candidates or marking them with an “X” or a similar symbol.

1. Seat Allocation:

• Based on the total number of party votes each political party receives, seats in the legislature are allocated to parties in proportion to their share of the vote, using a mathematical formula such as the Sainte-Laguë method or the D’Hondt method.
• Each party’s list of candidates is ordered based on a predetermined ranking established by the party or determined through internal party primaries.
• Seats are initially awarded to the candidates at the top of each party’s list, in proportion to the party’s share of the vote.

1. Candidate Selection:

• Candidates who receive a high number of individual preferences from voters are more likely to move up the party’s list and secure seats in the legislature.
• In some open list systems, candidates are elected in the order of the preference votes they receive. The candidates with the most individual preferences are elected first, followed by those with fewer preferences until all the party’s allocated seats are filled.

1. Proportionality: Open list PR aims to maintain proportionality between the party’s overall vote share and the distribution of seats among its candidates. This means that if a party receives, for example, 30% of the vote, approximately 30% of the seats it wins should go to the candidates who received the most preference votes.
2. Flexibility and Voter Choice:

• Open list PR systems offer voters more flexibility and choice compared to closed list PR systems. Voters can influence the order in which candidates from the same party are elected.
• Voters may choose candidates based on personal attributes, local connections, or specific policy positions.

Open list proportional representation systems provide a balance between party representation and individual candidate representation. They aim to combine the benefits of proportional representation, which ensures that parties are represented in proportion to their popular vote, with the ability for voters to have a say in the selection of individual representatives within parties. This system is used in countries such as Sweden, Finland, and Norway.

Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) is a system that retains the constituency element:

Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation is an electoral system used in some countries to elect their legislatures, such as Germany, New Zealand, and parts of Scotland. MMP combines elements of both proportional representation and first-past-the-post systems to achieve a more balanced and representative outcome.

Here’s how it works:

1. **Two Types of Representatives:** In MMP, voters cast two votes: one for a candidate in their local constituency (similar to first-past-the-post) and one for a political party.

2. **Constituency Seats:** The local constituency vote determines a portion of the seats in the legislature. Candidates who win the most votes in their respective constituencies become Members of Parliament (MPs).

3. **Proportional Representation:** The party vote determines the overall proportional makeup of the legislature. Parties receive seats in proportion to the percentage of the party vote they receive nationwide. This helps ensure that the overall composition of the legislature reflects the popular vote.

4. **Compensation Seats:** To balance the results, additional seats are allocated to parties based on their share of the party vote. These are known as “compensation seats” and are filled from party lists. The goal is to make the total number of seats each party holds closely match its proportion of the vote.

5. **Overall Composition:** The final composition of the legislature is a combination of local constituency winners and proportional seats from party lists. This ensures that both individual representation and overall proportionality are considered.

MMP aims to strike a balance between geographic representation (via local MPs) and proportional representation (to reflect the popular vote more accurately). It encourages multi-party systems, as smaller parties have a better chance of winning proportional seats, leading to a more diverse and representative legislature.

However, it can be complex for voters to understand and may lead to coalition governments since it often results in a multi-party system where no single party has an outright majority. This requires parties to work together to form governing coalitions, which can sometimes be challenging.

Example Scenario: New Zealand’s MMP System

In New Zealand, the MMP system has been in use since 1996. Let’s say there’s an election with the following details:

1. Total Seats in Parliament: 120 seats
2. Constituency Seats: There are 70 local constituencies across the country, each electing one MP through a first-past-the-post system. These are known as “electorate seats.”
3. Party List Seats: The remaining 50 seats are filled based on the party vote, which is a vote for political parties rather than individual candidates. Parties create ranked lists of candidates, and these seats are allocated to parties based on the proportion of the party vote they receive.
4. Party A: Let’s say Party A receives 40% of the party vote. In this case, they would be entitled to approximately 40% of the 50 party list seats, which is 20 seats. Party A’s total representation in Parliament would then be the 20 party list seats plus any constituency seats they won.
5. Party B: Party B, with 30% of the party vote, gets around 15 party list seats.
6. Party C: Party C receives 20% of the party vote, which corresponds to 10 party list seats.
7. Party D: Party D secures 10% of the party vote, resulting in about 5 party list seats.
8. Constituency Winners: In the local constituencies, the party that wins the most votes in each of the 70 constituencies gets one seat per constituency, regardless of their party vote share.

Now, let’s see how this plays out:

• Party A wins 30 constituency seats, and Party B wins 25. So, Party A and Party B each have their constituency seats plus the proportional seats they earned.
• Party A ends up with a total of 50 seats (30 constituency seats + 20 party list seats).
• Party B ends up with a total of 40 seats (25 constituency seats + 15 party list seats).
• Party C, with 10 party list seats and no constituency seats, has a total of 10 seats.
• Party D, with 5 party list seats and no constituency seats, has a total of 5 seats.

This proportional representation system ensures that the overall composition of Parliament roughly reflects the percentage of the party vote each party received. It encourages a multi-party system and provides a more balanced representation of the electorate’s preferences compared to a purely first-past-the-post system.

Please note that the numbers in this example are simplified for illustration purposes and may not precisely match New Zealand’s actual election results.

While some countries use FPTP in mixed member proportional systems to select a single winner in a constituency, one can employ Approval voting as a more optimal voting method to mitigate vote splitting and tactical voting. One can also use proportional representation (number of votes = amount of power) to select multiple winners in a constituency, to make more decentralized decision making.

Closed-List Proportional Representation

In a closed-list proportional representation system, voters cast their votes for a political party, and seats are allocated to parties based on the proportion of the overall vote they receive. The order of candidates on the party’s list determines who gets elected. Voters typically do not have the option to choose individual candidates; rather, they are essentially endorsing the party’s list.

Now, let’s address the concerns you mentioned about the closed-list method:

Lack of Individual Candidate Choice:

In a closed-list system, voters may not have the ability to express preferences for specific candidates. Some argue that this reduces the direct influence of voters on the selection of representatives.

Increase in Partisanship:

Closed-list systems may be criticized for promoting party loyalty over individual candidate qualities. This could potentially lead to a more partisan political landscape, as representatives are primarily accountable to the party leadership rather than the voters.

Rise of Far-Right Parties:

As partisanship escalates, far-right parties can ascend to prominence by strategically employing propaganda, disseminating disinformation, and skillfully appealing to sentiments.

How can we use proportional representation with Approval voting without any complicated algorithm?

How can we use proportional representation with Approval voting without any complicated algorithm like seq phragmen, and allowing selecting candidates based on ward or district. Seq phragmen is ok to be used in blockchain but not practical for paper ballots.

Instead of giving the number of seats as proportional, we can make voting power/weightage proportional. For example, the party with 33% votes will have 33% weightage for votes, no matter how many seats or candidates vote from the party. It applies to the district assembly, state assembly or country assembly (Lok sabha) The second winner or third winner of approval voting can also vote without creating any problems because of the weightage system.

Here is the complete algorithm:

# Ward 1
party_green_candidate_1 = 70 
party_red_candidate_1 = 51
party_yellow_candidate_1 = 31
#Ward 2
party_red_candidate_2 = 81
party_yellow_candidate_2 = 62
party_green_candidate_2 = 31
# Ward 3
party_green_candidate_3 = 60
party_red_candidate_3= 50
party_yellow_candidate_3 = 40
total_votes_green_party = party_green_candidate_1 + party_green_candidate_2 + party_green_candidate_3
print(total_votes_green_party)
total_votes_red_party = party_red_candidate_1 + party_red_candidate_2 + party_red_candidate_3
print(total_votes_red_party)
total_votes_yellow_party = party_yellow_candidate_1 + party_yellow_candidate_2 + party_yellow_candidate_3
print(total_votes_yellow_party)
# As there are three candidates, vote weightage for each candidate = total votes for party/3
weightage_green_candidate = total_votes_green_party/3
print(weightage_green_candidate)
weightage_red_candidate  = total_votes_red_party/3
print(weightage_red_candidate)
weightage_yellow_candidate = total_votes_yellow_party/3
print(weightage_yellow_candidate)
# Policy passing
# 2 candidate of green party gave yes, one gave no
# 2 candidate of red party gave no, one gave yes
# 3 candidates of yellow party gave yes
yes_votes = 2* weightage_green_candidate + 1 * weightage_red_candidate + 3 * weightage_yellow_candidate
print(yes_votes)
no_votes = 1* weightage_green_candidate + 2 * weightage_red_candidate + 0 * weightage_yellow_candidate
print(no_votes)

It makes all candidates powerful with the amount of voting power they have, without winner-take-all system.

Feedback are welcome.

Advantages of approval voting and proportional representation is given here:

Do we need a supreme leader? How can we share power between parties?

Is open list proportional representation without approval voting sufficient?

The article says,
Like all electoral frameworks, none of the OLPR variants are perfect. All have advantages and disadvantages in achieving the objectives required of an electoral system in a specific country environment.

While there are critics of OLPR, many of the criticisms are based either on specific elements of its configuration in a specific country or on elements that are external to the system itself (e.g. poor implementation of controls on political financing in Indonesia). While there have certainly been ugly configurations of OLPR, such as in Colombia before 2003 (see Albarracin and Milanese 2012), if configured sensibly and with adequate controls on political behavior, OLPR can facilitate a wider range of electoral system objectives than many other electoral systems.

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/open-list-proportional-representation-good-bad-and-ugly

Most countries implement Party List Proportional representation.
Let’s take India as an example and assume what can change in India if we implement party-list proportional representation.
India already has a multi-party system. It’s not like the US with two parties. Last election (2019) BJP won by 37% votes. With proportional representation, BJP will get 37% seats rather than 55% seats, so it will empower the opposition more.

But still, there is a problem. Specific elements of its configuration part of OLPR. Will it eliminate the need for a coalition? If even after proportional representation they move to a coalition, the problem of partisanism and “winner-take it all” arises again. The coalition govt with more votes will control the nation and ministry.

Let’s look at another problem.
Here is a plurality voting example.

Now, a party-list ballot.

Now candidates are replaced with parties (with candidates). Will it end polarization? Polarization happens because of the center squeeze effect and vote splitting. Candidates with similar ideologies split their votes, but here in the party list, parties with similar ideologies will split their votes. In FPTP more than 50% of the vote gets wasted. But the benefit of PR is even if Hitler gets the highest votes, more than 50% of power remained with the opposition, with no vote wastage. So yes it decreases polarization but doesn’t eliminate the benefits of polarization.

But with approval voting, Matin Luther King, Tuban, Mother Terasa, Gandhi will get about equal but more votes and votes for Hitler will decrease.

Further, without Approval voting, new parties will not get a chance, the reason is written in the link, also we can look at the Sri Lanka election. Sri Lanka People’s Freedom Alliance has 59.09% of the seats, Samagi Jana Balawegaya 23.90% of the seats, whereas other parties’ strengths are negligible despite proportional representation.

PR with Approval Voting brings more competition, in other words, it provides more choices and also collaboration and corporation of representatives as there are no incentives for polarization.

Top 5 Ways Plurality Voting Fails

https://electionscience.org/voting-methods/spoiler-effect-top-5-ways-plurality-voting-fails/

Critiques of Proportional Representation

PR generates weak, ineffective, and unstable governing coalitions

PR governments are not unstable, rather a coalition of majoritarian govt with FPTP is unstable. In FPTP parties have a high chance of getting out of coalitions whenever their interests are not met. This breaks the majority, hence breaking the government. In PR even if you stop participating or if you don’t vote in decision-making, nothing happens, other parties together can make the decision.

It’s difficult to assign clear responsibility and decision-making is slow in the PR

PR is better at assigning responsibility. It hardly takes an hour to vote and take decisions. Yes, draft preparation can time, but it’s a good thing because the inputs of all parties are taken. Ministers of the department can be selected by voting based on their party vote weightage. As all parties are involved, ministers are selected by consensus, and they are not partisan. Ministers will care about all parties’ interests rather than the majoritarian party. For example, in India, media freedom has gone to its lowest, and hatred and conspiracy theories are at peak, this won’t have happened if ministers are selected by consensus. President too will no more a rubber stamp, a person of integrity will be selected.

PR legitimizes extremist parties

FPTP legitimizes extremist parties, as they have incentives to polarize and split votes. Further extremist parties get more seats than votes in FPTP. In PR they won’t get more power than the number of votes. We can also reduce the extremist parties’ votes by using approval voting or negative votes.

Proportional representation promotes collaboration and energy is used on development politics and calling out and eliminating the bad candidates/parties rather than fighting with each other even if they have shared values to win seats. For example here Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Tubman and Mother Teresa would have collaborated and would have called out Hitler instead of fighting with each other to win seats due to FPTP.

Do we need a supreme leader? How can we share power between parties?

India is currently in a risky predicament or situation. Judiciary is manipulated and attacked like never before in my lifetime. The CBI, ED, and courts are being used to try and silence any dissident opposition views.

The judiciary is never independent. Govt can coerce judges or help in the appointment of corrupt judges. Or can pass law, compromising the fundamental rights and using law to abuse opposition or suppress dissent. To have a strong justice system we need to have strong democracy first.
Countries with inferior democracy always have an inferior judiciary.

Despite the central govt getting just 37% of votes, their power is far-reaching and autocratic.

The BJP only has 37% of the vote. Why does it have 100% control over the ministry and why does it possess 55% of the seats?

Center in India controls the media, center controls the ministry to attack opposition or regional parties, despite about 50% of the country belongs to opposition. This is not possible with Open List Proportional Representation or PR Approval Voting.
Because of the ministry, India needs a coalition. It’s very hard to collate with different ideologies.

After FPTP(First-past-the-post voting) or choose one voting there are so many option, PR, Approval, Star, Rank choice, Rank Robin. Yes, you can discuss merits and demerits of each one but put an end to FPTP/Plurality.

FPTP is the most terrible method, which the majority of electoral scientists agree on.

Why would the Modi government have complete control over minister selection when 50% of the nation is made up of regional parties?

Parliamentary or Presidential form of government? What’s in the name?

In contrast, in India, the Prime Minister has the authority to appoint ministers at their discretion, which can lead to a potential conflict of interest. For example, ministers may serve as mere marketing agents for the Prime Minister, aiming to enhance the Prime Minister’s image. It’s worth noting that, even though laws are meant to be the same for everyone, there can be discrimination in their execution by ministers based on their interests. One example of this can be selective enforcement of corruption laws, with a bias towards opposition parties, while members of their own party may go unpunished for similar violations.

The solution: Proportional Representation and Approval Voting

OLPR can have most of the advantages such as inclusiveness, lack of wasted votes, promoting diversity in parties and candidates, and promoting multi party system. Some countries, such as Belgium and Denmark, combine both elements.

Voters can vote for a list or for a candidate or candidates. Its #ApprovalVoting. Voters are sometimes given further choices and powers. In countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Switzerland, voters can vote for candidates from different candidate lists (panachage), while in those such as Luxembourg and Switzerland, voters can also vote against as well as for candidates.

You can read about open list proportional representation here.
https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/open-list-proportional-representation-good-bad-and-ugly

And difference between open list proportional representation and mixed member proportional representation here:

Open list PR is about voter choice in selecting individual candidates, Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) is a system that retains the constituency element.

Open-list proportional representation vs. Mixed-member proportional representation

India is becoming increasingly divided and polarized, and hate speech is so pervasive. With approval voting, politicians are not incentivised for hate speech.

You can read about approval voting here.
https://electionscience.org/library/approval-voting/

Ten Critiques of Approval Voting
https://electionscience.org/voting-methods/ten-critiques-and-defenses-on-approval-voting/

Critique #2: Approval voting degenerates to bullet voting (choosing only one candidate).

What we tend to see is that the average number of votes per ballot increases as the number of candidates increase. That is, fewer candidate options tends to mean that voters choose fewer candidates, and more candidate options tends to mean that voters choose more candidates. This is intuitive.

In fact, in many cases where there’s an approval voting election, a large number of people do tend to bullet vote. The important part is that voters have the option to support multiple candidates when they need it—even when it’s only a fraction of voters who need it. And it only takes a fraction of voters who support multiple candidates to change the outcome of an election. Even in an extreme situation where 90% of people bullet vote, those 10% choosing multiple candidates can sway the election (most often for the better).

Being able to support multiple candidates is a rather big deal for third parties and independents. As those candidates’ support grows, it’s essential that voters be able to support them to give their ideas credibility when it’s warranted. It’s preposterous to suggest that the same third-party sympathizers who hold their nose while voting for a major party wouldn’t support both a major party and a third party if given the chance. There is nothing to lose for them and everything to gain.

How many countries around the world use proportional representation?

There are 109 countries which use either a Proportional Representation or a mixed system across the world.
Only 47 countries use the First Past The Post system, a minority of countries globally, one of which is the United Kingdom.
Those that still use First Past the Post tend to have it as a result of being former British colonies.
WHY WILL INDIA FOLLOW THE OLD BRITISH COLONIAL RULE?

How many countries around the world use proportional representation?

PR for women

The research community is united in declaring that PR elects more women. One of the most widely accepted theories is that multi-member districts allow more women to be elected because parties will want to put forward a diversified slate of candidates to reach a wider range of voters.
https://www.fairvote.ca/women/

Proportional representation helped women get elected in 2022

In 2022, countries with either proportional representation (PR) or mixed electoral systems collectively elected 29% women to their parliaments, whereas countries with majority or plurality systems like First Past the Post only elected 22.4% women to their parliaments. The electoral system used also influences the likelihood of applying gender quotas.

Of those countries holding elections in 2022, nearly three-quarters (73%) of countries with PR or mixed electoral systems had either a voluntary or legislated gender quota in place, whereas in majority or plurality systems nearly three-quarters of countries (73%) did not have any type of quota in place.

The representation of women in the Lok Sabha in India stands at a mere 14%, while in the Rajya Sabha, it is even lower at 11%. It is essential for every woman in India to advocate for #ProportionalRepresentation.

Proportional representation helped women get elected in 2022

PR for climate change

As evidence from around the globe shows, proportional representation creates a virtuous cycle for the environment. Voters who care about environmental protection elect candidates who agree. Those representatives introduce new ideas about renewable energy and clean air, they work together to pass durable policies, and they act quickly on important issues like climate change. Cascadian voters care about clean air, clean water, and climate action. ProRep can turn their values into reality.

Proportional Representation Delivers Stronger Environmental Solutions

PR for Minorities

With the current govt hatred towards Muslim minorities increasing, govt has also shown a far-right homophobic stand towards LGBTQA+ community. Proportional representation gives more representation and negotiation power to minorities, which is hardly possible in winner take it all system.

India: Government Policies, Actions Target Minorities

https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/19/india-government-policies-actions-target-minorities

Modi’s Power to Sideline Challengers Is Only Growing
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/world/asia/modi-india-gandhi-judiciary.html

PR to reduce corruption

Approval voting and proportional representation are fully effective, in the sense that all equilibria exclude corrupt parties from legislative seats.

Effectiveness of Electoral Systems for Reducing Government Corruption: A Game-Theoretic Analysis

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899825683710067

You can check out countries with least corruption have Proportional Representation

Corruption Perceptions Index

https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022

How can we use proportional representation with Approval voting without any complicated algorithm?

How can we use proportional representation with Approval voting without any complicated algorithm?

How can we use proportional representation with Approval voting without any complicated algorithm?

How can we use proportional representation with Approval voting without any complicated algorithm like seq phragmen, and allowing selecting candidates based on ward or district. Seq phragmen is ok to be used in blockchain but not practical for paper ballots.

Instead of giving the number of seats as proportional, we can make voting power/weightage proportional. For example, the party with 33% votes will have 33% weightage for votes, no matter how many seats or candidates vote from the party. It applies to the district assembly, state assembly or country assembly (Lok sabha) The second winner or third winner of approval voting can also vote without creating any problems because of the weightage system.

Here is the complete algorithm:

# Ward 1
party_green_candidate_1 = 70 
party_red_candidate_1 = 51
party_yellow_candidate_1 = 31
#Ward 2
party_red_candidate_2 = 81
party_yellow_candidate_2 = 62
party_green_candidate_2 = 31
# Ward 3
party_green_candidate_3 = 60
party_red_candidate_3= 50
party_yellow_candidate_3 = 40
total_votes_green_party = party_green_candidate_1 + party_green_candidate_2 + party_green_candidate_3
print(total_votes_green_party)
total_votes_red_party = party_red_candidate_1 + party_red_candidate_2 + party_red_candidate_3
print(total_votes_red_party)
total_votes_yellow_party = party_yellow_candidate_1 + party_yellow_candidate_2 + party_yellow_candidate_3
print(total_votes_yellow_party)
# As there are three candidates, vote weightage for each candidate = total votes for party/3
weightage_green_candidate = total_votes_green_party/3
print(weightage_green_candidate)
weightage_red_candidate  = total_votes_red_party/3
print(weightage_red_candidate)
weightage_yellow_candidate = total_votes_yellow_party/3
print(weightage_yellow_candidate)
# Policy passing
# 2 candidate of green party gave yes, one gave no
# 2 candidate of red party gave no, one gave yes
# 3 candidates of yellow party gave yes
yes_votes = 2* weightage_green_candidate + 1 * weightage_red_candidate + 3 * weightage_yellow_candidate
print(yes_votes)
no_votes = 1* weightage_green_candidate + 2 * weightage_red_candidate + 0 * weightage_yellow_candidate
print(no_votes)

It makes all candidates powerful with the amount of voting power they have, without winner-take-all system.

Feedback are welcome.

Is open list proportional representation without approval voting sufficient?

The article says,
Like all electoral frameworks, none of the OLPR variants are perfect. All have advantages and disadvantages in achieving the objectives required of an electoral system in a specific country environment.

While there are critics of OLPR, many of the criticisms are based either on specific elements of its configuration in a specific country or on elements that are external to the system itself (e.g. poor implementation of controls on political financing in Indonesia). While there have certainly been ugly configurations of OLPR, such as in Colombia before 2003 (see Albarracin and Milanese 2012), if configured sensibly and with adequate controls on political behavior, OLPR can facilitate a wider range of electoral system objectives than many other electoral systems.

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/open-list-proportional-representation-good-bad-and-ugly

Let’s take India as an example and assume what can change in India if we implement open list proportional representation.
India already has a multi-party system. It’s not like the US with two parties. Last election (2019) BJP won by 37% votes. With proportional representation, BJP will get 37% seats rather than 55% seats, so it will empower the opposition more.

But still, there is a problem. Specific elements of its configuration part of OLPR. Will it eliminate the need for a coalition govt? If even after proportional representation they move to a coalition, the problem of partisanism and “winner-take it all” arises again. The coalition govt with more votes will control the nation and ministry.

Let’s look at another problem.
Here is a plurality voting example.

Now, a open-list ballot.

Now candidates are replaced with parties (with candidates). Will it end polarization? Polarization happens because of the center squeeze effect and vote splitting. Candidates with similar ideologies split their votes, but here in the party list, parties with similar ideologies will split their votes. In FPTP more than 50% of the vote gets wasted. But the benefit of PR is even if Hitler gets the highest votes, more than 50% of power remained with the opposition, with no vote wastage. So yes it decreases polarization but doesn’t eliminate the benefits of polarization.

But with approval voting, Matin Luther King, Tuban, Mother Terasa, Gandhi will get about equal but more votes and votes for Hitler will further decrease.

Furthermore, without Approval voting, the chance for new parties is still lower but PR alone (without approval voting) do helps new parties by eliminating wastage of votes and decreasing tactical voting.

We can look at the Sri Lanka election with PR (no approval voting). Sri Lanka People’s Freedom Alliance has 59.09% of the seats, Samagi Jana Balawegaya 23.90% of the seats, whereas other parties’ strengths are negligible despite proportional representation.

PR with Approval Voting brings more competition, in other words, it provides more choices and also collaboration and corporation of representatives as there are no incentives for polarization.

Top 5 Ways Plurality Voting Fails

https://electionscience.org/voting-methods/spoiler-effect-top-5-ways-plurality-voting-fails/

Critiques of Proportional Representation

PR generates weak, ineffective, and unstable governing coalitions

PR governments are not unstable, rather a coalition of majoritarian govt with FPTP is unstable. In FPTP parties have a high chance of getting out of coalitions whenever their interests are not met. Defection of MLAs and MPs from parties is so common in politics. This breaks the majority, hence breaking the government. In PR even if you stop participating or if you don’t vote in decision-making, nothing happens, other parties together can make the decision. Changing the party or defection has no impact on decision making due to the weightage-based voting system, which is based on the number of votes won.

It’s difficult to assign clear responsibility and decision-making is slow in the PR

PR is better at assigning responsibility. It hardly takes an hour to vote and take decisions. Yes, draft preparation can time, but it’s a good thing because the inputs of all parties are taken. Ministers of the department can be selected by voting like based on their party vote weightage. As all parties are involved, ministers and bureaucrats are selected by consensus, and they are not partisan. Ministers will care about all parties’ interests rather than the majoritarian party. For example, in India, media freedom has gone to its lowest, and hatred and conspiracy theories are at peak, this won’t have happened if ministers are selected by consensus. President too will no more a rubber stamp, a person of integrity will be selected.

PR legitimizes extremist parties

FPTP legitimizes extremist parties, as they have incentives to polarize and split votes. Further extremist parties get more seats than votes in FPTP. In PR they won’t get more power than the number of votes. We can also reduce the extremist parties’ votes by using approval voting or negative votes.

Proportional representation promotes collaboration and energy is used on development politics and calling out and eliminating the bad candidates/parties rather than fighting with each other even if they have shared values to win seats. For example here Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Tubman and Mother Teresa would have collaborated and would have called out Hitler instead of fighting with each other to win seats due to FPTP. Hitler decisions will be ineffective as he will not get enough votes to take decision.

PR causes you to lose the constituency

There are different versions of PR that can be adapted to various forms. PR, in its fundamental principle, means that the percentage of seats should be equal to the percentage of votes the party receives. In other words, power aligns with the number of votes a candidate or party receives. To maintain a constituency element, one can consider options such as Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation or power weighting equal to the amount of votes the candidate receives, as explained in the algorithm above.

How can we transition from FPTP to Proportional Representation?

States can implement PR:

States can implement Proportional Representation (PR) in their State Legislative Assemblies. Our constitution does not explicitly specify whether to use First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) or Proportional Representation. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that FPTP does not align with constitutional principles such as inclusivity and equality.

Implementing PR at the national level can be challenging. Therefore, individual states have the opportunity to experiment with PR, potentially sparking a broader movement towards electoral reform.

FPTP often provides an advantage to incumbents, or those who are already in power. Incumbents might resist changing the electoral system because FPTP makes it relatively easier for them to maintain their positions due to the concentrated nature of the voting.

Parties are made out of representatives (Sarpanch, MLAs, MPs, Council members, etc). Representatives need to understand that it causes no harm at the individual representative level. There is no mention of parties in our constitution. Larger parties can split into smaller parties, and individual representatives don’t have to maintain a partisan stance. This leads to a more fairer and level playing field for representatives or parties in elections.

There are ways smaller parties can overcome the resistance to change. They can simply collaborate and share the seats to avoid vote splitting.

Nominee Selection:

Nominee can be selected from parties that collaborate through Approval voting or Score voting. Voting can be done by citizens and party members.

Parties can use sms or apps to vote, or getting feedback from surveys to select best candidates. The problem with voting through apps or SMS is without kyc electoral fraud is likely. The locality or constituency of the voter can be faked, and multiple votes can be submitted by a single user. A better approach is to establish polling booths organized by the parties to obtain authentic and accurate data. While the voter turnout might be low, it would provide a reliable sample for making inferences about the population.

A good sample is one that is randomly selected from the population, aiming to reduce bias by encompassing everyone—nonpartisan, opposition and loyal voters—without favoring loyal voters.

About 3 to 5 nominees from different parties can be selected. These 3 to 5 nominees will participate in the election for a single seat. Diverse types of nominees can be selected to appeal to a broader range of communities.

As single seat is shared by 3 to 5 members, it attracts more voters, thereby increasing the chances of winning. It also increases decentralization of decision making. Helps to prevent vote splitting, which can be detrimental to smaller parties under FPTP. Choosing nominees through approval voting and surveys enhances the likelihood of victory by incorporating the people’s preferences into the selection process.

Seat sharing Agreement:

Seat sharing agreement can be made by the nominees to share power after they win. The power weightage of nominees can be based on the count of approval votes cast by citizens prior to the election, or they can possess equal weightage.

Such weightage is used in decision-making within citizen assemblies. Seat-sharing agreements are established to prevent winners from defecting.

In this manner, different parties can unite in the FPTP system, significantly enhancing their chances of winning by multiple folds by eliminating vote splitting. After they win, they can transition from FPTP to proportional representation.

What if the opposition challenges the seat-sharing contract in court, for example, MPs seats, or if the Supreme Court doesn’t allow it?

A written agreement can be made public along with the signatures of those involved; it’s not necessary for it to be legally binding. Based on this declaration, people will vote. Simply making a public declaration can reduce the chances of defection. Among the 3-5 nominees, award the MP seat to the individual with the highest approval votes. After MPs win, they can change the law accordingly.

Sketch to build a agreement or contract.

What will a boycott of the national currency give us?

When India was under British rule, Gandhi started a movement to quit British goods and use Swadeshi products to help the country’s people become self-sufficient. The movement aided in breaking free from British control and achieving independence.

Things are not much different today. Today we are in the clutches of big corporations and banks.

Let’s check out what gonna change if we quit our national currency and implement shivarthu protocol.

Also, take a look at the various governance issues here:

Tyranny of the Majority, Minority, Representatives, Shareholders and Democratic trilemma

No more debt economy
Banks transfer wealth from people to capitalists by issuing debt or printing money. e.g. In India, Adani group has a debt of ₹2.2 trillion, which is near to the GDP of many big states in India. Many times, debt is issued for economic reasons that are detrimental to society. For example, the Adani group’s primary source of income is fossil fuel, which contributes to climate change and pollution.

UN: 3.3 Billion People – almost half of humanity – Live in Countries Spending More on Debt Service Than Education, Health. The report revealed that Public debt has also spiked more than five-fold since 2000.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/33-billion-people-live-in-countries-that-spend-more-on-debt-interest-than-education-un-says/ar-AA1dMwLG

https://unctad.org/publication/world-of-debt

Here is simulation of Yard-sale model that explains why do super rich people exist in a society?

https://pudding.cool/2022/12/yard-sale/

UBI and decreasing income inequality
Shivarthu governance may charge 1% – 20% of taxes per year of the total market cap. About 1%- 5% of taxes can be used to provide universal income.
Here is a simulation where UBI will decrease the wealth inequality.

https://github.com/amiyatulu/randomised_tax_collect_ubi/blob/main/tax_collection_ubi.py
Calculation of the required market capitalization for a $125 (₹10,000) UBI per month.

population = 45_429_399
print(f"{population:_}") # Odisha population 45_429_399
# If each person get ₹10_000 per month as UBI, which means approx. $125
total_money_needed_per_year = 45_429_399 * 125 * 12
print(f"{total_money_needed_per_year:_}") # 68_144_098_500
# If you tax 1% per year total market cap needed.
total_market_cap_needed = total_money_needed_per_year * 100
print(f"{total_market_cap_needed:_}") # 6_814_409_850_000
market_cap_of_bitcoin = 369_910_000_000
print(f"{market_cap_of_bitcoin:_}") # 369_910_000_000
# 2021 estimates show there are 64 million active wallets . A minuscule .01% of Bitcoin holders control nearly a third of the supply
ratio = total_market_cap_needed / market_cap_of_bitcoin
print(ratio) # 18.42 times 

Implications of a deflationary currency

You will spend less and hold money since deflationary currency increases in value over time. Natural resource depletion and environmental pollution are two drawbacks of consumerism. The consumer society is not sustainable in its current state. More than 70% of Earth’s natural resources are currently being overused.

It appears that businesses are more focused on generating new demands than filling old ones. They frequently prey on our vanity and insecurities during this process. “You will feel better about yourself if you get this” “Purchase this and people will respect you.”, “Buy this and you will succeed”. These are a few of the messages that sellers try to get across to us so that we will buy things we don’t really need.

But many economists criticize deflationary currency as it will slow down the economy and bring unemployed, hence poverty. Yes, it’s true only when wealth is concentrated in a few hands, like in the current scenario, where 1% holds 90% of the wealth.

If income is allocated fairly, as in the Shivarthu protocol, your job—the one that uses the most natural resources possible and hence brings the greatest negative impact on society becomes unnecessary.

With the current advancement of technology, there is hardly any job left where automation can’t be used.

No to Bullshit Jobs

A bullshit job, as defined by David Graeber, was a concept coined by the late anthropologist and author in his book “Bullshit Jobs: A Theory.” Graeber describes a bullshit job as a type of employment that is essentially meaningless, unfulfilling, or unnecessary, yet it exists within a system that assigns it a high societal value and rewards it with a decent salary.

According to Graeber, bullshit jobs are often characterized by the following traits:

1. Lack of meaningful impact: These jobs do not contribute significantly to the well-being or betterment of society. They are often seen as pointless or even counterproductive.
2. Busywork and bureaucracy: Employees in bullshit jobs often find themselves engaged in excessive paperwork, pointless meetings, or other tasks that do not require their skills or expertise.
3. Low autonomy: Workers in such jobs have little control over their tasks or decision-making processes. They are often subject to micromanagement and strict rules and regulations.
4. Lack of productivity measurement: Bullshit jobs are often difficult to measure in terms of productivity or output. It becomes challenging to evaluate the actual contribution of these jobs to the organization or society.
5. Sense of guilt or shame: People with bullshit jobs often feel guilty or ashamed because they recognize the pointlessness of their work but are compelled to continue doing it due to societal expectations or economic necessity.

Graeber argued that the prevalence of bullshit jobs in modern economies is not only detrimental to the individuals performing these jobs but also to society as a whole. He highlighted the potential for increased dissatisfaction, mental health issues, and a loss of human potential when people are stuck in unfulfilling and meaningless work.

With decentralized price discovery, and decentralized self-managed organizations like shivarthu, workers will have autonomy over their decision-making process, and jobs that have meaningful impact on society are incentivized and bullshit jobs are eliminated.

UBI and positive externality

Shivarthu will incentivize positive externality, validated by score Schelling game and elected representatives. Your UBI (Universal Basic Income) can increase by 2 to 5 times if you produce a positive externality, but it can also drop if you produce a negative externality.

Some of the positive externalities are

• Learning and gaining knowledge (https://avrit.reaudito.com/#/)
• Teaching your child or neighbor kids.
• Planting trees
• Exercising, yoga, mindfulness, and assisting others in doing so for mental and physical health.
• Taking care of animals and pets
• Volunteering and keeping your city clean
• Avoiding single-use plastic and littering the road
• Take part in governance
• Doing scientific activism and mobilizing people for social justice (DEI: Diversity, equity and inclusion) or climate justice

and many others

Some examples of negative externalities include:

• Littering on the road, park or beach
• Consuming drugs, alcohol or cigarette
• Participate in domestic violence
• Taking part in some criminal activities

Users with more positive externality will have more voting weight as a result they possess greater voting influence. Consequently, voters who prioritize environmental protection elect like-minded candidates. These representatives bring forth fresh concepts concerning renewable energy and clean air, collaborate to enact enduring and egalitarian policies, and promptly address pressing matters such as climate change. Voters express concern for clean air, clean water, and climate action. Shivarthu protocol has the potential to transform their values into tangible realities. It will create a vicious cycle of positive outcomes..

Is Shivarthu a demurrage currency?

Demurrage is the cost associated with owning or holding currency over a given period. It is sometimes referred to as a carrying cost of money.

Shivarthu is not a demurrage currency. Users are taxed at a certain percentage, but it doesn’t depend on how long you hold the currency. The tax rate remains the same whether you hold it for a year or just a few months.

Problems with demurrage currency:

It compels you to spend money even if you don’t need goods or services.

In economics, when you spend more, there is greater money circulation, resulting in increased economic activity and more employment. This concept is based on the belief that a single currency, whether local or national, can solve all our problems.

While it may seem appealing, it has its downsides. Increased economic activity often leads to the exploitation of natural resources and issues like climate change and pollution. But less spending can create unintended consequences such as unemployment or poverty.

Here is an example how it works, why cycling is bad for the economy.

However, these challenges can be addressed through controlled money circulation, using different currencies for different supply chains. This approach allows for fine-grained control over supply chains, including taxing or disincentivizing negative externalities and subsidizing or incentivizing positive externalities in different supply chains.

While shitcoins cryptocurrencies needs to be eliminated, we envision a multi-cryptocurrency system. Furthermore, unemployment can be addressed through the provision of Universal Basic Income (UBI), which can also be implemented at the supply chain level. For instance, individuals could receive a monthly allocation of 50 apples for free.

Secondly, because there are no incentives to hold a demurrage currency, it is likely to be abandoned, and people may shift toward other currencies. In most successful cryptocurrencies, hoarding is incentivized, for example, through staking to earn more tokens for providing security or other services such as decision-making.

We can use gold pegged cryptocurrency, but they are hard to decentralize.

Gold cryptocurrency can provide hedge against inflation and fluctuating prices of or other cryptocurrency. For example, from 2004 to 2022, the price of an ounce of gold in rupees has changed from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 160,000. Gold has a history of being the best and most well-tested currency since 700 BC.

Here are the few gold backed cryptocurrency:

1. Tether Gold (XAUT)
2. DigixGlobal (DGX)
3. PAX Gold (PAXG)
4. Gold Coin (GLC)
5. Perth Mint Gold Token (PMGT)
6. Meld

But these currencies are not fully decentralized, and depends on centralized regulators. If you’re considering investing in gold crypto, diversify your portfolio by exploring various gold stable coins to avoid the risk of losing all your money if one stable coin fails.

There can be a way for secure and safe decentralized stable coin. But its a part of active research.

e.g Govt causing hyperinflation, devaluing all your money:

https://mru.org/courses/principles-economics-macroeconomics/zimbabwe-currency-inflation

Or a dictator can demonetize 99% of the currency overnight:

The figures suggest prime minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation policy, which likely wiped at least 1% from the country’s GDP and cost at least 1.5m jobs, failed to wipe significant hordes of unaccounted wealth from the Indian economy — a key rationale for the move.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/30/india-demonetisation-drive-fails-uncover-black-money

Banks can also stop you to withdraw your own money when you need it.

Decentralized Finance

The blockchain space also has open-source DeFi lending platforms like Compound and Aave, where interest rates are determined by the market, rather than being controlled by banks and governments. This approach helps mitigate the unintended consequences of price ceilings and floors, as explained in the video below.

Zombie Banks (Run!)

This video discusses four reasons why financial intermediaries can fail: insecure property rights, controls on interest rates, politicized lending, and loss of trust. It’s hard to decide which is scariest! 

https://mru.org/courses/principles-economics-macroeconomics/failure-financial-intermediaries (Video can be downloaded)

Cryptogovernance is no longer purely experimental. For example, OpenGov on Polkadot is currently operational, and more versions are likely to emerge in the coming years. It can be adapted to numerous supply chains, including education, housing, agriculture, and transportation.

More points to cover, treat it like a manifesto:

• No debt economy, unlike the large debts taken on by capitalists.
• UBI with no income inequality
• Implications of deflationary currency and minimalism
• Emotion and empathy rather than materialism
• No Entrance culture, and rate race, rote learning education system
• Elimination of bullshit jobs
• Remote jobs or work from home with less working hours
• Gender parity in workplace
• No unpaid care work for women
• Wildlife conservation e.g protection of elephants, mangroves. No climate change, more trees and honey bees
• Pay for positive externality and tax negative externality with accurate prices discovery, People producing positive externality will get more UBI
• Nutritious food and health
• Clean energy like roof top solar and wind energy
• Banning single use plastic
• No hate or polarization
• Better judiciary and police governance
• Funding to the public good and open source. Share on the capital and automation and Decentralized supply chain
• No intellectual property rights
• Ads free entertainment, demerits of ads and consumerism, only informative, decentralized, expert audited ads.
• Accountable social media and news
• Interoperability of hardware and software
• Decentralized house building and sustainable housing design.
• Car-free community and 15 mins cities
• 60%-70% forest cover
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Decentralizing Supermarkets Through Public Ownership and Control
• Better Health care system
• No poverty and low hunger index

Capitalism vs Socialism: Which one is working?

This is the dictionary definition of capitalism:

an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.

Characteristics central to capitalism include private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system and competitive markets

–Wikipedia

Definition of socialism

Socialism is a political philosophy and movement encompassing a wide range of economic and social systems which are characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership.

But do socialism works? 

Here are some of the video that explains why socialism is much more worse than capitalism?

But both the videos have serious flaws:

It assumes Capitalism = Free Market

Capitalism and the Free Market is often incompatible with each other. Capitalism entails private ownership, and through private ownership, individuals and entities can amass excessive wealth, establish monopolies, and potentially undermine the principles of a free market. Furthermore, they often utilize financial resources to lobby the government, seeking regulations that favour their interests and, in the process, potentially disrupt the free market.

Examples are Microsoft and Iphone with their proprietary software or hardware

Apple has been forced to make their phones easier to repair, but, as the evil company that they are, they’ve found another way of creating unneeded friction in the system.

We’ve now reached the point where it’s technically easy to remove the screen or the battery from an #iPhone 14, you can replace them with genuine Apple parts purchased from their store, but when you turn on the phone things probably won’t work unless somebody from Apple registered the parts’ serial numbers (which have all to be genuine and new btw, throwing a wrench into the idea of sustainability through used/refurbished/compatible parts) to your phone.

In other words, they’ve been forced to remove the hardware barriers, and they’ve just moved them to the software.

-@blacklight

It assumes Socialism = Govt Ownership

Socialism is centered around the idea of public, collective, or common ownership of the means of production. Its not about government control, where approximately 200 to 500 elected representatives manage the means of production, or where a single elected head, such as the Prime Minister or President, exercises control over the means of production.

Example of socialism is FOSS software or hardware

“Free software” means software that respects users’ freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.”

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

So, no one owns a FOSS software, anyone can study, change or improve the software.

There are also open source hardware like RISC V.

e.g Pine64 https://www.pine64.org/

Another example can be decentralized computation using blockchain, its free market as well as owned by common with #FOSS software. You don’t have to rely on aws, you can use your home computer to provide service.

https://runonflux.io/

But what about capitalism. We have one-sided economy where only very few control the market. 

https://iambrainstorming.wordpress.com/2019/10/20/one-sided-economics/

Wealth inequality is on the rise. People are unemployed and in poverty. Capitalists are creating more problems (or negative externalities like climate change, pollution) than solving. 

Capitalism is not working

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/countries-losing-faith-capitalism-economics-global-political-systems

Govt spends more than Rs 4,300 crore in 4 years for advertisement. But what are they selling?

This is what RTI shows:

In four years, Modi govt spent over Rs 4,300 crore on publicity.

This is how much other opponents spend on advertisement.

Kejriwal’s Delhi govt spent Rs 274 crore on ads since 2015 – four times more than Congress

But if you look at the billionaire entrepreneurs like Ambani, and Mittal, they spend about Rs 50-300 crore per year depending on the market conditions. 

This is how Advertising works. The Game theory of Advertising. 

The payoff is high for both when both the competitor entrepreneurs don’t advertise or they do advertise.

But entrepreneurs sell products, and money comes from their profit.

But what politicians are selling?

As they are not selling anything, so the payoff will be the same when they all don’t advertise or they do advertise. The effect that politicians are seeking through advertising will not change if there is a complete ban on paid advertisements. 

Do you know where does the money on publicity come from?

Yes, you have correctly guessed, its taxes. But taxes can come from two means:

1) Through transaction costs, where the govt keeps the cut on the transaction. 

2) Printing more money, as govt is a money-printing machine. When govt prints more money, the burden has to beared by common people. A nonobvious way of collecting taxes. 

Demonetisation three years later: Cash in circulation up 25.6% to record high of 22.57L cr

Who pays the bad loans (loans given by banks to people who then fail to repay them) or NPA of corporates like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi? Do you think the bank? 😀 😀 😀 😀

As of March 31, 2018, provisional estimates suggest that the total volume of gross NPAs in the economy stands at Rs 10.35 lakh crore.

So, if you what to know what politicians sell? They sell countries. 

I already said what is your future with this democracy. The onus lies with the people to bring a good and fair democracy that incentivizes experts with character to join not illiterates, matric pass or hypocrites. 

The link is here: https://iambrainstorming.wordpress.com/2019/03/05/future-of-generation-z-and-millennials/

This is how taxpayers’ money should be used. To pay for utilitarian services like food, water, electricity, education, transport charges. It will also create a healthy economy because will increase the velocity of money without hoarding and increase entrepreneurship.

Please read about UBI tax coins here:

https://iambrainstorming.wordpress.com/2018/12/31/the-perfect-competition-world/

Why scientists will join the democracy app?

Details of Fair democracy:

https://iambrainstorming.wordpress.com/2019/01/09/from-hypocrisy-to-democracy-this-way-delegated-proof-of-stake-2/

Why will experts join the democracy network in the beginning? What are the Incentives??

1) Professional Reputation
Provide problems documentation of departments with evidence
Provide solutions documentation of the departments with evidence
Provide criticisms and solutions to the policies of departments
Market the solutions in social media
Even though its a replacement of present democracy, for now, it will be used to keep the present govt accountable if they are doing something wrong.
Documentation will go through peer review, all the participants of the department can review it, with scientific professionalism. It’s not like social media, you have to use every sound logic with providing references to your arguments.
2) Crowdfunding
Department scientists and voters can crowdfund their solutions and gain incentives for solving problems through volunteering and working on it. Escrow services to hold scientists accountable.

Escrow service for democracy using blockchain:

35% objection rule:
Representatives will crowdfund their solution with a given timeline to complete. A single project can also be split into smaller numbers of timelines.
The total amount of fund raised = x
Objection Unit = x/100

If a person funds “m” amount of money, then they can appeal using m/(x/100) objection units.

If objection units appealed becomes 35, then any doners can ask to refund their amount and the amount will be refunded.

An example,
If the total amount of fundraised is is 500, then the objection unit becomes 500/100 = 5.
If a person funds 80 than they have 80/5 = 16 objection units.
If doners have objected using 35 objection units that have a value of 35*5 = 175 which is 35 percent of 500, then any doner can take back their money.

Benefits:
It will hold the representative accountable to work. If doners are not satisfied with the work, they can appeal using their objection unit and get back the money if it reaches the threshold.

Criticism:
What if work is done, but people lacking honesty still appeal using their objection units to get back the money.
Most people are honest, as they are funding for the purpose, then it’s unlikely to use objection units. Even if it reaches the objection unit threshold, the money will not get transferred to their account automatically, but only if a donor request for it, and honest doner will not request if work is done and representatives will always get the money from honest doners.
If still there is more fraud, the threshold amount can be raised from 35 to 40%, etc.

Whom do you ask questions in fair democracy?

In unfair democracy, we ask question to PM
(e.g. Narendra Modi in India)

Narendra Modiji, Why government is failing provide jobs to all its citizens?
Narendra Modiji, Why we have so much traffic in the roads?
Narendra Modiji, Why rivers of India are so much polluted? What has been done for cleaning it?
Narendra Modiji, Why there are farmer suicide?
Narendra Modiji, Why there is so much air pollution, that millions of people are dying of pulmonary diseases?
Narendra Modiji, Why there are slums?

In fair democracy, we ask questions to concerned departments the real service providers who will solve your problems

Department of education and economics, why government is failing to provide jobs to all its citizens?
Department of Public Transport, why we have so much traffic in roads?
Department of Pollution and Ecology, why rivers of India are so much polluted? What have been done for cleaning it?
Department of Agriculture and Education, Why there are farmer suicide?
Department of Air Pollution and Health, Why there is so much air pollution, that millions of people are dying of pulmonary diseases?
Department of Engineering and Building, Why there are slums? Why all citizens of India don’t have home?

What is fair democracy?

A fair democracy, without any middleman or brokers such as politicians (MPs, MLAs, PM, CM) and bureaucrats, who delay the implementation. People will transact directly with their service provider departments.

Details of Fair democracy

Future of Generation Z and millennials

Generation Z will outnumber millennials in a year. By 2019, the third of planet will be 18 and under.

How’s their future in hypocritical democracy?

What is hypocritical democracy? 

Also knows as baby eater democracy.

https://iambrainstorming.blogspot.com/2019/01/from-hypocrisy-to-democracy-this-way.html

Unemployment

Half of India’s working-age population (15 years and above), is not contributing to any economic activity 

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/50-indias-working-age-population-out-of-labour-force-says-report/articleshow/67830482.cms

Insect (pollinators) population is in decline, but not the human population, disruption of the ecosystem.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-insect-populations-decline-scientists-are-trying-to-understand-why/

UNSUNG HEROES

Many people tend to think of animals as large, furry, likeable creatures. In reality, insects are the dominant form of animal life. Close a million species have been described to date—compared with a paltry 5,416 mammals. And depending on who you ask, entomologists suspect there could be two to 30 times as many actually out there.

Not only that, but insects are linchpins of the living world, carrying out numerous functions that make life possible.

Insects pollinate a spectrum of plants, including many of those that humans rely on for food. They also are key players in other important jobs including breaking dead things down into the building blocks for new life, controlling weeds and providing raw materials for medicines. And they provide sustenance for a spectrum of other animals—in fact, the Puerto Rico study showed a decline in density of insect-eating frogs, birds and lizards that paralleled the insect nosedive.

Climate Change

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

THE EXTINCTION CRISIS

It’s frightening but true: Our planet is now in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals — the sixth wave of extinctions in the past half-billion years. We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago

Plastic, plastic and more plastic in oceans

6.5 million tons of litter enter the world’s Ocean each year. 50% is long-lasting plastic that will drift for hundreds of years before it is degraded.

Ocean Pollution

Air pollution

Expensive air purifiers in homes who can afford.

Air pollution in India is estimated to kill 1.5 million people every year; it is the fifth largest killer in India. India has the world’s highest death rate from chronic respiratory diseases and asthma, according to the WHO. In Delhi, poor quality air irreversibly damages the lungs of 2.2 million or 50 percent of all children.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution_in_Delhi

Chronic respiratory diseases

>90% of COPD deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries. What’s special in low-income countries?

https://www.who.int/respiratory/en/

Tobacco kills more than 1 million people each year, but govt fails to ban tobacco.

42.4% of male adults are tobacco users.

Revenue collection

THE TOBACCO INSTITUTE OF INDIA

Revenue collection increases every year. But is it to be called as trade or economy?

An Economics Definition:

Economy in general [is] the art of providing for all the wants of a family, [so the science of political economy] seeks to secure a certain fund of subsistence for all the inhabitants, to obviate every circumstance which may render it precarious; to provide every thing necessary for supplying the wants of the society, and to employ the inhabitants … in such manner as naturally to create reciprocal relations and dependencies between them, so as to supply one another with reciprocal wants

Sir James Steuart (1767) 

Politicians can give data about agricultural employment, but there are alternatives to tobacco agriculture, and these people can be trained in new areas of farming. But yes, it does require experts in responsibility.

Bacteria and Competition: How it’s similar to human?

Why bacterial growth curve is so important?
It gives the idea to learn about the impact of competition in the simplest way. It gives the answer what happens to a population when resources are limited.

Thrive, Survive, and Deteriorate

https://technoperiod.blogspot.com/2016/09/bacteria-and-competition-how-its.html

What policies should we make for family planning?

Education with content creation that promotes critical thinking a must to students and adult.

But are our boards doing any little for teaching rules of universe and rules of life?

All books that don’t meet the learning criteria must be taken off

https://technoperiod.blogspot.com/2017/01/all-books-that-dont-meet-learning.html

Forget mars, we are bound to extinct in earth itself, if we don’t stop all these nuisance.

All these can only be solve by collaboration, not through competition. One’s profit shouldn’t be others loss. Its already too late, a little further late will accelerate the closeness to extinction.

Collaborative Democracy