POPULISM, ENERGY WALLS, AND EXECUTIVE DOMINATION STEPHEN TOMBLIN MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY AUGUST 2017 2015-16 APPLIED RESEARCH FUND Populism, Energy Walls, and Executive Domination Dr. Stephen Tomblin Professor in Political Science Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador
[email protected] Paper Produced For Harris Centre 1 We have entered a new era of alternative facts, and fake news - a time when expertise and science are seen more as a product of elite construction than product of independent evidence gathering. Remarkably, building walls, reinforcing silos, defending borders, advancing executive dominated bi-lateral forums and processes have become popular practices. These have generally replaced older normative chimeras consumed by ideas of good governance or promoting effective integration across jurisdictions and policy fields. Knowledge construction and brokering is influenced by those in power, and processes which exist for promoting patterns of integration, fragmentation, collaboration, or competition. In recent history, efforts to integrate, identify common interdependent problems and then resolve them based on evidence and best policy practice have lost momentum. On the other hand, there have always been struggles to achieving functional integration as a result of inherited competitive state structures and silos that have persisted and dominate most areas of decision-making. The narrative of good public policy and more integrated collaborative approaches to identifying and resolving interdependent issues has lost much of its shine. In addition, concerted efforts to reform, replace, or invest in integrated policy processes and mechanisms have lost steam also. In an era of Brexit, and President Trump’s populist leadership, challenges of the democratic deficit, globalization and institutional deficiencies there is growing public distrust and political division.