Relevance to other kinds of gap that are a challenge to policy

Enhancing Sustainable Development Strategies through Avoidance of Military Metaphors (Part #9)

---

[Parts: First | Prev | All ] [Links: To-K | From-K | From-Kx | Refs ]

---

The conference which inspired this paper was primarily concerned with the gap between policy-makers and public. Another interesting way to explore this issue is presented in a table  Relating leaders and followers (public) in terms of patterns of assertion and denial.

There are many other gaps -- some already acknowledged by policy-makers. Of special interest is the gap between policy formulation (and its associated political promises) and policy effectiveness on the ground (in terms of meaningful change for those "targeted"). Indicators can of course be selected to signify change from the targeter's perspective that may be meaningless from the target's perspective. Many development programmes over past decades are viewed in this light by those on the ground.

Some other gaps are listed out in Table 6 (below). How might these gaps be reframed in the light of non-military metaphors?

Table 6: Variety of "gaps"
Policy-makers  Planning	Public  Consultation
Policy formulation  Political promises	Policy effectiveness  Detectable change
North (industrialized)  Wealth	South (developing)  Poverty
Western values	Eastern values
Knowledgeable	Ignorant
Cultured	Uncultured
Sciences	Arts
Older generations  Parents	Younger generations  Children
Men	Women
Right brain	Left brain
Employed  Over-paid	Unemployed  Under-paid
Believers	Unbelievers
Mainstream beliefs	Alternative beliefs

---