Existing forms of government were designed when civilisation was much simpler. They were important advances in their time, progressing societies away from authoritarian government. It is time to for further progress, to a form of government designed for a complex civilisation, while addressing the human tendency for non-egalitarian behaviour.
The observations below identify important classes of issue that highlight the need for Expert Government.
Large numbers of people across the world are experiencing problems accessing the most basic of human needs, drinking water and food. Ultimately governments are failing to ensure affordable access to these essentials, even though experts have been highlighting these very important trends for a long time. Failure to provide affordable access to drinking water and food is the biggest demonstration of failed government.
Although housing is a basic need, governments often have ineffective policies that lead to many people with housing problems. Ensuring availability of appropriate housing for all citizens should be a high priority for every government.
Affordability of energy is dropping because successive governments have failed to promote the timely development of alternatives and the necessary infrastructure.
Recent and on-going financial problems continue to cause hardship for many ordinary people in many countries. Political government has badly failed to manage the complex financial services industry. Even now governments struggle with no clear strategy to avert worsening problems that might yet bring disaster to more countries and slow the progress of civilisation.
In many countries the police are feared or at least distrusted. They are often visibly corrupt and/or incompetent when they should be demonstrating leadership. Government continuously fails to ensure that this critical institution is beyond reproach.
Education is universally recognised as a vital improver of civilisation. However, even in advanced countries access to it is restricted and its organisation is a political football.
Even mature countries with long established borders are still engaging in armed conflict with other countries that are no threat to them. This is not an aspect of civilisation that humanity can be proud of.
All governments have been late to address the issues about the environmental impacts of using fossil fuels to provide energy. Indeed, the issue has still not been convincingly addressed in any country, despite huge concerted efforts by experts to affect change.
Employment is important not just to support a countries economy, but also provide a sense of self-respect and worth. High levels of unemployment are a common feature of developed countries. If affecting employment is a part of the governments remit then countries with significant unemployment have failed.
Civil unrest is rising in countries with governments that have yet to embrace non-authoritarian systems of government. While some countries have moved on from authoritarianism, other inadequacies of current forms of government have resulted in civil unrest even in some of the most highly developed countries. It is essential that we manage a smooth transition to Expert Government. Revolution is damaging and likely to deliver more of what has gone before. We need thoughtful evolution not revolution.
Party political systems of government frequently result in party activity designed to discredit other parties. Effort is diverted to confrontation rather than being used productively in collaboration.
Party political systems of government place restrictions on planning due to the period a government has in office. Projects which require more than one term are less likely to be approved.
Party political systems of government inherently encourage policy differentiation between parties, so change of government inevitably results in policy change. Policy change is also likely if the incumbent government is returned to office, as they respond to the policies of the other parties. Policy discontinuity is problematic because it disrupts plans, and knowledge of the possibility of policy change discourages planning.