ABSTRACT
Trade-off is an integral part of the policy-making process. Policy issues are in essence a struggle of ideas, the constant struggle in trade-offs on the definition and execution on what is best for the people. Each issue-idea is an argument or a collection of arguments in favour of different ways of seeing the world. Trade-offs are not necessarily an exercise in rational problem-solving. They are deeply emotional and often characterised by high levels of anxiety, dissatisfaction and anger. Responsible leaders must recognise people’s fears and anger as legitimate. Leaders need to develop a mindset of knowing their publics in order to address the pervasive issues. Take, for example, the political trade-off debate on globalisation in the USA and Europe. Anti-globalisation groups argue that globalisation has resulted in painful collateral damage, particularly for manufacturing-dependent communities in the USA and Europe. The low-skilled workers in these countries have been left behind as a result of low-cost competition from countries such as China. On the other hand, the pro-globalisation groups argue that many of the manufacturing and agricultural-related businesses are trade-dependent and the more this trade expands, the more people are going to be employed and wages will go up. In the political trade-off debate, this model of globalisation that governed the global economy is unravelling. 1
