Exploring CHANGE

I continue to add mainly books (but a few articles) to what has become a 75 page collection of notes about more than 100 texts. You’ll find the latest version on the first line of the top-right hand column headed “Ebooks you can access”. The literature on change is, of course, immense but is divided very much into five completely separate fields which, curiously, seem totally uninterested in each other - dealing with

• the individual which draws on psychology and tends to be interested in 

things like stress;  

• one which focuses on the technological aspects – and how they are  

commercially exploited

• the organisational which focuses on the management of change aș 

organisations react to the technological changes (with companies, the public sector and the NGO field receiving different treatment);

• the societal which is interested in collective challenges to power 

which often go under the label of “social change” but has also attracted the interest of scientists exploring the world of complexity

• only a very few recent writers have been brave enough to attempt a synthesis

I’ve added one of very few good articles about change - this 1998 piece by

Kieron Healy on “Social Change – mechanisms and metaphors” who writes
 

Despite its importance to the social sciences — or perhaps because of it — there 

has been a lot of disagreement about the best way to deal with change. This 

disagreement extends to arguments about whether there is even a sensible question 

to address in the first place. If change is the stuff of social life, some argue, then 

social science just is the study of change. Talk of “Social Change” per se is empty 

precisely because it encompasses everything. Critics reply, to the contrary, that 

the social sciences have almost entirely ignored the issue and concerned themselves 

with a more tractable world of stability and equilibrium. The problem of change 

can hardly be avoided, but theory and explanation are unthinkingly applied, largely 

metaphorical, and usually no better than folk wisdom can manage.

Social change was, at the end of the 19^th century, a rather abstract subject fit only for such social theorists as Comte, Marx and Weber. The 1960s, however, saw a more rebellious spirit stir – although the books on the subject¹ were still essentially theoretical and aimed at an academic audience – with the exception of historians Barrington Moore², Sydney Tarrow³ and Charles Tilly⁴. But all of that changed in the 1990s – triggered perhaps by the Velvet Revolutions demonstrating the power of ordinary citizens. Other academics began to wake up and notice that the masses had political agency⁵

Saul Alinsky, Paulo Freire and Ivan Illich were my inspirations to the power of community activism in the late 1960s from which I took a “pincer approach” to force change in Strathclyde Regional council by a combination of political drive from the top and community pressures from below. The organisational culture was, of course, one of classic bureaucracy⁶ – but, from its very start, some of us made sure that it had to contend with the unruly forces of political idealism and community power.

Thirty years later. I was doing a lot of training sessions in the Presidential Academies of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan and developed there what I called the “opportunistic” or “windows of opportunity” theory of change against what I started to call “impervious regimes” ie so confident of the lack of challenge to their rule that they had become impervious to their citizens.

“Most of the time our systems seem impervious to change – but always (and suddenly) an opportunity arises. Those who care about the future of their society, prepare for these “windows of opportunity”. And the preparation is about analysis, mobilisation and trust.

• It is about us caring enough about our organisation and society to speak out about the need for change.

• It is about taking the trouble to think and read about ways to improve things

• to help create and run networks of such change.

• And it is about establishing a personal reputation for probity and good judgement

• that people will follow your lead when that window of opportunity arises”.

There may be too much of a Leninist touch to this formula! In these days of “systems and chaos theory” we probably require a bit more humility – and flexibility.

But I do remember reading Managing Change and making it stick by Roger 

Plant when it first came out in paperback in 1989/90.  This was the very first 

book I came across on the topic - and note the date! It was only in the 1990s 

that the “management of change” exploded into fashionability7 

1Such as Theories of Social Change Applebaum, Richard (1970), Social change: Sources, patterns and consequences Etzioni, Amitai and Etzioni-Halevy nEva (1973) and Introduction to Theories of Social Change Strassen H and Randall S (1974)

 Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy Barrington Moore (1966)

  Power in Movement – social movement and contentious politics Sydney Tarrow (1994 – 2011 ed)

  From Mobilisation to Revolution  Charles Tilly (1977)

  Another World is Possible – world social forum proposals for an alternative globalization ed WF Fisher and T Ponniah (2003)

6So brilliantly described in Bureaucracy – what government agencies do and why they do it James Q Wilson (Basic Books 1989) although a somewhat different view is taken in “The Value of Bureaucracy” by Paul du Gay (Oxford Univerity Press 2004)

7 with The Expertise of the Change Agent - public performance and backstage activity (David Buchanan (Prentice-Hall 1992) for example offering some fascinating insights us the deeply impressive

SNIPPETS

It’s been 18 months since I’ve done this sort of post – selecting some of the links I’ve collected from internet surfing and I devote it mainly to 2 books which have grabbed my recent attention.

The first is Edgar Schein’s last book – written with his son and published shortly 

before he died early last year at the glorious age of 95. Schein was one of the 

most thoughtful and accessible of organisational writers. And the book is 

Humble Inquiry – the gentle art of asking instead of telling Edgar and Peter 

Schein (2021) which he presented in this quite brilliant interview. Another of 

his books was “Humble Consulting” (2016) which was nicely reviewed here – and 

here 
 
The second book is Fiona Hills’s There is nothing for you here – finding opportunity 

in the 21st Century (2021) superbly reviewed here. Hill was a miner’s daughter 

from the North-east of England who, with the insights she had gained from 

her Russian studies, went on to become a foreign policy adviser to Trump but 

actually testified against him during his impeachment. 
She has great interviews about her book – on the New Local site here, with 

her tutor, Geoff Parks, here and with the “UK in a Changing Europe” site here 

which pay tribute to the great support she got from local people and agencies.
There was a great discussion about US politics and the impact of the transfer 

of power to Harris in this episode of The Rest is Politics which also gave us 

this discussion about the politics of the Coalition government from 2010-2015

Making Sense of the UK’s 2024 General Election

The airwaves have crackled since 5 July with commentaries of various people trying to make sense of the UK General Election – whether political commentators such as Andrew Rawnsley (here and here), Polly Toynbee or my fellow blogger Boffy. All have drawn attention to the low turnout of the electorate and the role this played in the Labour vote being much less than anticipated. These days we are increasingly aware of the dangers of confirmation bias ie looking for views and information which simply confirm our existing opinions

But the best analysis of the results was probably Change Pending – the path 

to the 2024 General Election and beyond (More in Common 2024)

More in Common and the UCL Policy Lab conducted polling of more than 10,000 people in the week after polls closed and held focus groups in constituencies that reflected some of the most striking electoral trends. This builds on focus group conversations of more than 500 people and polling of tens of thousands of people during the campaign. The findings illustrate a more complex picture than last week’s headline results would suggest and offer clear pointers about how to meet the public’s expectations for the next five years.a government that embodies service and respect. Making those words in that first speech a reality is, undoubtedly, the central task of this Parliament

But the fact Labour took just a third of the vote, against a Government which by any measure had lost public confidence, suggests voters remained unsure about the alternative.

Ultimately, the electorate granted Labour the majority they needed to get things done, but with many individual MPs now sitting on majorities small enough that they could be voted out with the slightest change in the public mood.

The challenge then for Labour - and indeed for the Conservative Party as it thinks about how to rebuild - is to define what change the country is looking for, what public opinion can coalesce behind, and how that change can be delivered. Keir Starmer seems keenly alive to this challenge - having pledged in his speech on the steps of Downing Street to focus on the two thirds of the country who did not vote Labour, and to do so through understand this challenge.

Breaking the Spell Economics has put on us

As someone who had the audacity to try to teach Economics in the 1970s, I try, every now and then, to make amends by listing a few books which do a rather better explanatory job. This is my latest effort

Economics is known as "the dismal science" – but is most decidedly NOT a science!

It has indeed become the new religion worshipped by policy-makers throughout 

the world. Its fallacies have such a grip on our minds that we need to throw 

aside our distaste for the subject and have the patience to read a few at least 

of the newer exposes. So I've prepared two lists – 

• some good introductions to the subject

• some well-written critiques of the discipline

Good Introductory Texts
- Almost Everyone’s Guide to Economics; JK Galbraith and N Salinger (1978) quite inspiring 

from one of the world's best writers and economists quizzed by a young French woman. 

I discovered it thanks to a great biography of the man by Stephen Dunn.
- Short Circuit – strengthening local economies in an unstable world” - Ronald Douthwaite 

(1996). Very practical – but also inspirational….almost 30 years on, it hasn’t really been 

bettered. Full text available at the link
- Debunking Economics – the naked emperor dethroned; Steve Keen (2001 and 2011) Written 

before the crash by an Australian, it might be called the first alternative textbook 

(except it’s much greater fun to read!). Can be read in full.
- Economics for Everyone – a short guide to the economics of capitalism”; Jim Stanford (2006), 

a Canadian economist, is a very user-friendly book and has an excellent “further reading” 

list which was probably the best there was at that time….
- 23 Things they didn’t tell you about capitalism; Ha Joon-Chang (2010) superbly-written 

demolition job on the myths perpetrated on us by economists
- The Economics Book – big ideas simply explained ed Kishtany, Meadway et al (2012) 

Superbly presented graphically and chronogically, with short chapters on every imaginable topic
- Economics – the user’s guide Ha-Joon Chang (2014) Probably my favourite not least because 

it understands our repugnance about the subject and offers a way of reading the book. 

And because it accepts that it is not a science; recognises that there are various 

(very different) perspectives on the subject; and explains each 
- Economics for the Common Good; Jean Tirole (2017) A French Nobel-prizewinner offers 

a highly readable text – written in short chunks
- Good Economics for Hard Times Banerjee and Duflo (2019) common sense from a 

French/Belgian Nobel-prize winning couple
- How Economics can save the World Eric Angner 2022 a Swedish economist whose 

“further reading” highly recommends the introductory course “The Economy” 

https://www.core-econ.org/the-economy/ whose first draft came out a decade ago


CRITIQUES
- For the Common Good; Herman Daly and John Cobb (1989). The book which inspired a 

different approach to economics – written by a theologian (Cobb) and Herman Daley who 

for 6 years was the principal economist of the World Bank. But, by virtue of being a train 

blazer, not the easiest of reads
- Zombie Economics - how dead ideas still walk among us; by John Quiggin (2010) is a great 

read – with a self-explanatory title. He is an Australian author currently completing a book 

called Economics in Two Lessons…

- The Delusions of Economics – the misguided certainties of a hazardous science Gilbert Rist 2011. A Swiss anthropologist dares to critique the discipline!

- The Economics of Enough – how to run the economy as if the future matters; Diane Coyle 

(2011) A UK economist sets out a convincing alternative vision for developed European societies.
- Austerity – the history of a dangerous ides; Mark Blyth (2013) written by a political 

scientist/political economist, it shows how old theories still affect the contemporary world profoundly
- Economics of the 1% - how mainstream economics serves the rich, obscures reality and 

distorts policy; John F Weeks (2014) More of a critique but a text which is a must-read. 

One of the best introductions to the subject - which can't be faulted for being over-diplomatic!
- Credo – economic beliefs in a world of crisis; Brian Davey (2015) An alternative approach 

to economics which situates it in its cultural and historical context. It may be long (at 500 

pages) but is definitely worth persevering with.
- Vampire Capitalism – fractured societies and alternative futures; Paul Kennedy (2017) 

More of a sociological treatment which earns high points by stating in the very first sentence

 that it has “stood on the shoulders of so many giants that he is dizzy” and then proves the 

point by having an extensive bibliography with lots of hyperlinks…
- Doughnut economics – 7 ways to think like a 21st century economist; Kate Raworth (2017). 

This Oxford economist has made quite an impact with this book
- Economics in two lessons; John Quiggin (2019) Quiggin is another Australian economist 

which means a no-nonsense approach. Less introductory – more polemical
- What's Wrong with economics – a primer for the perplexed; Robert Skidelsky (2020) 

Skidelsky is the biographer of Keynes and as much an historian as economist. This is less 

an introductory text and more a polemic
- Cogs and Monsters – what economics is and what it should be Diane Coyle (2021)
An interesting overview of the debate which has been taking place in the last 

decade about the role of economics.

The US has destroyed its last claim to be a democracy

I have several times on this blog drawn attention to the falsity of claims that the US is a democracy. We now have final confirmation of that reality. 

In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States has ended the fundamental principle of democracy that no one is above the law. If you are one of the people who’ve argued for a long time, the US is not a real democracy, you have the final argument you need.

In a bid to save Trump from further prosecution, the Supreme Court opened a can of worms that could have all kinds of consequences going forwards. It ruled that Trump, and other US presidents, have absolute immunity for official acts and presumptive immunity for acts that extend to the outer perimeter of their office. However, the court ruled that any non-official act could still be considered criminal.

What this means is that any violation of the law carried out by a sitting US president in his official duties cannot be prosecuted. Say, for example, a president wants to supply the bombs to a genocide, or commit a genocide themselves, that would apparently be fine because they would be acting in their official capacity.

My Trip to Scotland

I'm nearing the end of this short trip - I catch the train this afternoon for London where I get to see my grandson for the first time in almost 3 years - and will fly out of Gatwick for Bucharest on Wednesday. It's been a useful, if rather strenuous, trip - with flat viewing in Kirkcaldy the first week and stay in my Edinburgh sister-in-law's house the second. She's guided me to good bookshops and, yesterday, to the Scottish Parliament where I picked up one of four books I've been reading since I got here.

The first was Rory Stewart's "Politics on the Edge" - a devastating picture of the state of the contemporary political system in the UK as seen by a centrist traditional Tory.

The second is Warring Fictions – left populism and its myths by Chris Clarke (2019) who is the son of Charles, a Cabinet Minister in Bliar's government with the book exploring the divisions in the Labour party between the "left populists" and the "left pluralists" - making some very intriguing constrasts.

The third book is by a working class Glaswegian - The Social Distance Between us - how remote politics wrecked Britain which adds the class dimension to Stewart’s picture. It's really challenging and made me realise how predictably bourgeois I am in my perceptions and attitudes.

The final book is by one of Scotland's very rare public intellectuals, Gerry Hassan (Tom Nairn was another and Mark Blyth has the makings of a third) - Scotland Rising (2022) which strikes a rare note of moderation in the bitter divide between nationalists and unionists in the country.