A contribution by Dr. Raban D. Fuhrmann about crisis councils that can help effectively and sustainably manage the Corona crisis and its diverse side effects and consequences in the current situation.
The full text can be found below as a PDF.
In times of crisis like these, politics must make and enforce significant decisions that have far-reaching consequences for individuals and society. The highly complex problems we face due to the Corona crisis overwhelm our established political structures and solutions. To master this crisis well and quickly, we need new instruments for deliberation and decision-making.
Crisis councils address this: As permanent reflection and resonance bodies, 16 randomly selected individuals advise politics and administration on critical questions for one week each – quickly, neutrally, and informed! This not only increases the quality of decisions and measures but also strengthens trust and acceptance in them. [...] […]
For crisis councils to function, several actors are needed: first, a political sponsor (a government, parliament, city council, etc.) willing to submit key questions and far-reaching measures to such a board and committed to incorporating the resulting recommendations into their own decisions. Second, a neutral crisis governance bodyresponsible for the concrete organization. Third, advisory citizenswho engage with political questions and are willing to discuss them. Fourth, experts must be involved – those who have already informed the sponsor and others.