One issue to consider is whether catastrophic risk is a sufficiently popular issue for an agency to use it to sustain itself. Independent organisations can be vulnerable to cuts. This probably varies a lot by country.
Independent organisations can be vulnerable to cuts.
Do you know of any quantitative evidence on the subject? My impression was there is a fair bit of truth to the maxim “There’s nothing as permanent as a temporary government program.”
Both creating and sustaining a government agency will likely take more popular support than we currently have, but I still think it’s an important long term goal.
I’m under the impression that agencies are less dependent on the ebb and flow of public opinion than individual policy ideas. However, they would certainly still need some public support. On the other hand, having an agency for catastrophic risk prevention might give the issue legitimacy and actually make it more popular.
One issue to consider is whether catastrophic risk is a sufficiently popular issue for an agency to use it to sustain itself. Independent organisations can be vulnerable to cuts. This probably varies a lot by country.
Do you know of any quantitative evidence on the subject? My impression was there is a fair bit of truth to the maxim “There’s nothing as permanent as a temporary government program.”
Both creating and sustaining a government agency will likely take more popular support than we currently have, but I still think it’s an important long term goal.
I’m under the impression that agencies are less dependent on the ebb and flow of public opinion than individual policy ideas. However, they would certainly still need some public support. On the other hand, having an agency for catastrophic risk prevention might give the issue legitimacy and actually make it more popular.