Mind games: The idea that a strong-willed and single-minded leader can solve complex 21st-century policy challenges is one of the most dangerous myths of our era. — Reuters
THE concept of “political will” is arguably among the most resonant catchphrases in Philippine’s national discourse. And yet, the concept remains one of the most confounding and abused terms in our political lexicon. Long-time mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s meteoric rise to power was not based on any specific set of empirically verifiable public policy arguments. Instead, it was driven by the incessant claim that he, and he alone, had the “political will” to save the country from apocalypse.
Some scholars have recently tried to explain “political will” by defining it as “the extent of committed support among key decision-makers for a particular policy solution to a particular problem.” But as political scientist Linn Hammergren lamented more than two decades ago, “[it’s] the slipperiest concept in the policy lexicon, ” and “is never defined except by its absence.”
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