In this FIR Interview I speak with Patri Friedman, an engineer and political activist about The Seasteading Institute and the Institute’s plan to create governmental “start-up spaces;” it’s like a business incubator for new models of governance. It’s easy to stress test new software, but it’s a lot harder to regression test new government structures and legal codes.

Seasteaders are actively working with the government of French Polynesia to create a “special economic zone” (link BBC)

Many consider America itself a great experiment in religious freedom and governance. But if this great experiment took 200+ years to test, we can’t afford to wait for the next set of test results. As a country we can’t even agree on the next experiment.

Some demand America restructure as a Christian theocracy, or revolt into a Socialist dream-state;  others want to burn “her” down so we can break-up into 30 or 50 pieces; perhaps there is another option? This interview will provide a lot of context and a primer of sorts for finding smart alternatives to theocracy, socialist purity and burning down the house.

The team at the Institute has come up with a program that will allow the testing of diverse models of governance, hosted in structures largely immune from rising sea levels.

The meta point Mr. Friedman makes is: How do we make government work better?   Once we “know” how do we test it?

Today many folks think government (in general) isn’t working, but what can you do about it? For me, it is hard to know what is more alarming: the large cohort of people who didn’t vote in the US general election, or the current political climate where large yet minority segments of religious-conservatives and secular-progressives see little reason to compromise, except agreeing compromising is for losers, and crooks.

The Franklin Experiment in Compromise is Dead

The defeat of HRC was a no confidence vote for the political status quo. It has given way to my realization that there is no longer a center left or right with enough votes to win at the polls; the fine art of political compromise has become conflated with the dirty business of compromised ethics. What comes next?

It seems plausible our large democracies and markets are heading for a breakup as evidenced by the United Kingdom’s vote to exit the European Union, the America First policies of the Trump Whitehouse and California’s governor “weighting” withholding funds from the federal government and becoming sanctuary State; meanwhile other Californians push forward a ballot initiative for secession.

Not a Dad Joke:

How are governments like software, and fast food franchisees?

In software engineering, object oriented programming allows a parent object to inherit values and properties to a child object. It’s not dissimilar to a fast food chain using a franchise agreement to allow a local company to operate using their name and brand. Although they tend to be fairly restrictive, the agreements allows the franchisee the independence to hire, manage and operate the business.

The MOU will give the Floating Island Project it’s own “special governing framework” creating an “innovative special economic zone.”

The Seasteading Institute rejected building floating cities on...