Ash Center Director for Equity and Inclusion LaChaun Banks on the intersection of civic policy, research, and the Center’s own approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Written by LaChaun Banks, Ash Center Director for Equity and Inclusion
Chair, Ash Center Steering Committee on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Over the years, I have had the good fortune to work in some of the most rural and even depressed areas of the country. Working in economic development and helping to create “good” jobs for people in struggling communities and circumstances, I have seen firsthand how certain public policies can hurt an area more than help it, even with the best intentions. …
The Reinvestment Fund and The Food Trust together tackle local food deserts in Pennsylvania-low-income neighborhoods with severely limited access to fresh produce locally. With an understanding that low-income communities have more buying power than most retailers think, they appealed to elected officials, making the case for joining together to address the grocery gap.
The partnership, which includes the Urban Affairs Coalition, secured $30 million from the state for what they called the Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI). These funds were matched with $145 million in other private and public capital to provide loans and grants for predevelopment, acquisition, equipment and…
Understanding the Case of Indonesia
Written by Marina Kusumawardhani
The 2019 Indonesian election delegitimization attempt and the May 2019 riots around the house of the election-monitoring body in Jakarta proved just how powerful politicians’ incitement of violence could be. But months before that, it was the divided narrative of the media that created deep polarization in the country. Sources that supported the opposition produced anything from hyperpartisan news to hate speech to downright conspiracy theories. Such alternative sources went largely unchecked before and after the riots. According to my research at MIT Media Lab, there were more than 60 alternative media sources (a number that’s…
How this shift in thinking can revolutionize digital government.
Written by Naeha Rashid
Over the past decade — and further accelerated by the pandemic — a consensus has started to emerge around both the need for and the basic elements of a digital era government. The need is straight forward, citizens increasingly experience seamless, fast and omnipresent service from the private sector, resetting their expectations of how public goods should be delivered. Governments increasingly recognize that delivering on this expectation — creating a digital era government — requires some core digital infrastructure.
The cornerstone of this infrastructure is the ability of governments to collect, associate, store, and share information…
Digital government leaders on the need to rethink funding models for long-term impact
Written by David Eaves, Emily Middleton, Claire Bedoui, Rohan Sandhu
Each year, David Eaves of the Harvard Kennedy School and Public Digital convene digital service groups from over 30 governments around the world. Last June, digital government leaders stressed the need to rethink funding models for long-term impact. In recent months, donors have made new commitments to support global digital public goods. …
Written by Archon Fung, Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government
Stop the Steal rioters who broke into the Capitol on Wednesday shocked the nation by desecrating one of American democracy’s hallowed spaces. The rioters assaulted our democracy even as many of them believed they were defending it.
But the deeper ugly truth is that American democracy has few friends these days. Many — and not just on the left — correctly criticize that Americans vote at very low rates compared to most democracies, Gerrymandering distorts representation in many states, and that the six senators from California, Texas, and…
Why aggregate city data?
by Ashley Marcoux
From fire prevention in New Orleans to protecting children from lead poisoning in Chicago, there are no shortages of success stories from city governments that aggregate data to inform their actions. In New Orleans, private-public partnerships produced Smoke Signals, a data tool that gives the Fire Department block-by-block estimates of fire risk to target distributions of free smoke detectors. Smoke Signals now offers risk assessments for 178 cities across America. In Chicago, the Health Department and the University of Chicago partnered to identify properties that are most likely to contain lead-based paint to prioritize interventions and outreach…
Welcome to our weekly roundup of articles and resources for state, local, and tribal leaders creating policy to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic as well as steering the social and economic recovery for their communities. Postings below do not convey endorsement of any particular organization or opinion contained in links.
Army Picks Fitbit to Develop Wearable Presymptom COVID-19 Detectors
The health and wellness wearable company plans to use the award to partner with the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research to expand testing of its internally developed algorithm.
New President, Congress Must Help Indian Country Fight Coronavirus
The relief package in March was inadequate to meet the scope of the tragedy brought about by the pandemic.
Use COVID-19 To Build Back Better, Cities Told
The United Nations…
Welcome to our weekly roundup of articles and resources for state, local, and tribal leaders creating policy to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic as well as steering the social and economic recovery for their communities. Postings below do not convey endorsement of any particular organization or opinion contained in links.
Tracking COVID-19’s Effects by Race and Ethnicity: Phase Two
Updates on People’s Health, Housing, and Livelihoods between August 19 and October 26.
Naval Hospitals Deploy Germ-Killing Robots Amid Pandemic
The tools are intended to provide an extra level of disinfection against COVID-19.
Pathways to the Post-Pandemic Workforce
The economic recession triggered by the global pandemic has magnified the need for high-quality programs that can help students acquire the skills, training, and…
A Story of Progress and Resistance
Written by Cecily Hines and Miles Rapoport
As Election Day approaches, one key issue, in Florida but also nationwide, is whether and to what degree citizens who have felony convictions on their records will have their rights restored and be able to vote. The picture is decidedly mixed. There has been real progress in many states, and stubborn resistance in others.
According to a recent study by the Sentencing Project entitled “Locked Out 2020”, an estimated 5.2 million people cannot vote due to felony convictions. This represents 2.3% of the voting-age population, and — dramatically — over 6.2% of African…
