The Simpol Solution

I have reviewed John Bunzl's earlier work on his Simultaneous Policy solution to international challenges, and this is by far the most comprehensive statement of this important idea, whose time has surely come. A key concept is what the authors call Destructive Global Competition, which inhibits nation states from making decisions or taking action for fear of their international competitive position, especially in an economic system focused on growth. An important pressure is the current ability of transnational corporations to move around the world to places where taxes are lowest and environmental regulations least stringent. The authors encourage us to move our sense of identity and belonging to a more worldcentric perspective, outlining the ways in which Simpol fulfils this in conceptual and policy terms. They see cultural evolution as a balance between competition and cooperation, and argue that cooperation on a wider scale has become an evolutionary and indeed ethical imperative, with corresponding new forms of governance. Considerable progress has already been made in persuading politicians from all parties to align themselves with Simpol, and we ourselves can participate by supporting the idea and sharing it with our friends – see www.simpol.org