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Public Policy
Jennifer Pahlka, author and Code for America founder, on what comes after Elon Musk’s failed attempt at government efficiency — and how we can modernize federal agencies to improve people’s lives.
10mins
“Invention matters, but implementation matters more.”
7mins
"I'd prefer to think about a different axis, which is, should government be more or less effective? Should government work faster or slower?"
20mins
“Even if there are beliefs that we hold that are true, if we prevent people
challenging those beliefs, we will lose our understanding of why they're true.”
After drastic cuts to the NIH, the FDA, the NSF, and the DOE, NASA science faces down its smallest budget ever. All of society will suffer.
Retrofitting America's aging dams for hydropower — while removing ecologically harmful ones — may be a productive path forward.
In many ways, the rising anti-phone fervor in schools mirrors moral panics of the past.
An evidence-based policy movement is arming the fight with tools and programs that are more effective than ever before.
In post-Soviet nations where ministers have a relatively high BMI, corruption tends to be high, too.
On November 25, U.N. members will meet in South Korea to cap off a series of meetings aiming to reduce global plastic pollution.
Philosopher Peter Singer argues it's time to examine a morally dubious practice.
Absence makes the heart (and public opinion) grow fonder.
In the murder trial of Dan White, the defense touched on diet as a cause for White's actions. It has become known as the "Twinkie defense."
Throughout the world, traditional political organizations are increasingly seen as dysfunctional. But can democracies live without them?
A college education currently provides roughly a 10% rate of return, beating the long-term performance of equities.
Hundreds of millions of animals get killed for meat every day.
Simple "nudges" to remind people to show up for court could help keep thousands out of jail.
In the 1960s, politicians and bureaucrats were formulating the Central Arizona Project. Citizens fought back.
Research suggests that employees with criminal records are far less likely to quit their jobs, perhaps due to a greater sense of loyalty.
Walking is rarer in the U.S. compared to similar nations. It is also deadlier: Nearly 7,500 pedestrians were killed in 2021.
Cyberattacks are growing in number and sophistication.
The average age of cannabis users is increasing. Weed may fall out of fashion before it becomes legal everywhere.
When someone attempts to make you afraid of something that hasn't happened instead of a true, present danger, suspect this nefarious ploy.
Even if a balloon flies directly overhead, attempting to shoot it down with a conventional firearm is stupid, ineffective, and dangerous.
3mins
Washington University professor John Inazu tells us how we can make peace inside a raging culture war.
Almost 18,000 projects, brought together on one clickable map.
Has the "age of psychopharmacology” shrunk society’s sense of responsibility for mental health?