Education Policy Idea
Every once in a while, I come up with an idea to solve a problem that I’m often not an expert in, but that seems to make sense. I like to run these ideas by others to get their input and hopefully come up with an even better idea. I recently started re-reading Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities. I first read this excellent book on the inequalities in the American education system when I was a sophomore in college eight years ago. At that point, I was too overwhelmed byKozol’s description of the state of schools in East St. Louis and Chicago to respond with ideas on how to change the situation. This time I approached the text with the eye of a policy analyst and I had an idea…
The lost introduction to The New State-recovered from the Internet Archives
INTRODUCTION
to the 1920 edition of The New State by Mary Parker Follett
BY
VISCOUNT HALDANE
I HAVE ventured to ask the authoress of what Professor Bosanquet has recently called “the most sane and brilliant of recent works on political theory,” to let me write a few pages introductory to the next issue of her book.
It could be worse, but –
Many people who are struggling with the current financial times take some solace in the notion that as bad as things are, they could be worse. A recent feature by cnn.com collected personal stories of difficulty during this downturn. Repeatedly, and even when the situations were very dire, some version emerged of, “we are fortunate for what we have because it could be worse”. Even locally when we here news of furloughs, cutbacks, and layoffs, they are often accompanied with this notion that it could be worse.
A New Approach to IT in Government – Open Source Code Reviews, Part 1
With our new Executive administration settling in at the White House, I thought I might pass an idea by all you intelligent readers out there. Obama’s election platform was based on change and one these much touted changes was transforming the federal government from eight years of Orwell’s Ministry of Truth to a transparent distributor of information. In the spirit of that push for transparency, I would like to present my idea for transforming information technology (specifically application adoption and development) in government. I have decided to do this in three parts: (1) briefly argue that the mainstream methodology of software procurement and development is incompatible with the philosophy of a transparent and democratic government, (2) present my solution to solve this problem, and (3) counter some concerns and issues that might arise from implementing my idea.
When Will Things Get Better?
It is natural to ask the question, “When will things get better?” However, that could be a very misleading question. It is not difficult a stretch to claim that values of consumerism were pervasive, but not sustainable. The consequence was the creation of a consumer-based economy that was dependent on people living beyond their means, supported by easy credit. As credit dried up, house values and retire accounts decreased, so did purchasing. So, when will things get better? To have purchasing power as widespread as it is now, it will take another period of irresponsible lending and purchasing. So… is that better?
Inefficient Healthcare
Within the current world of policy and administration, efficiency has become an important if not overarching goal. Arguments for privatization and program elimination have been based almost solely on whether or not a program is efficient. The PART program under the administration of George W. Bush rated programs at various levels of efficiency and then based their budget recommendations on these ratings (whether or not these ratings were based more on ideology than actual science will be addressed in another, future post). There seems to be one area, in which, the concern for efficiency has been ignored; healthcare.
How Much is A Million?
Today, approximately 2 million people covered the national mall to attend the inauguration of this nation’s 44th president, Barack Obama. There is so much to be proud of today and so much to inspire. Whether the crowds were there to view a scene of new hope, the making of history, a portion of MLK’s dream finally fulfilled, or the exit of perhaps the most unpopular president in the nation’s history; 1.4 million people braved the cold and the crowd for the chance at a glimpse at this historic moment.
Thoughts on thenewstate.com
Why the new state? We have entered into a new American epoch. Economic, technological, and political structures that have been the framework of the study and practice of public administration have radically changed. In the ever so close past, the ends that governing sought were limited to economic development. Safety, housing, the environment, and education had all become commodities and have been used as means to generate economic development. Privatization, outsourcing, de-regulation, and “creative” finance are just a few of the tools that public administrators have used to generate economic development. But now with the collapse of our economy we have realized that the focus on economic development has left us with crumbling infrastructure, substandard education and environmental policy, over-crowded jails, a food production industry dependent on environmentally devastating practices, massive corruption, a socially stagnant classes with little mobility, and greater wealth accumulation in a ridiculously few. A self interested society, it turns out, is not sustainable.
