Re:CAP

Is Chinese "social credit" or the EU's General Data Protection Regulation actually getting us closer to the consumer, government, or technology relationships we want to have?

GDPR and Chinese Social Credit | Fels Institute of Government In the citizen/consumer world, I see two phenomena colliding: Chinese “social credit,” and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Both seem to be arriving in the United States in some form. Are either of them getting us closer to the relationship we want to have with consumers, go...

Ransomware is an uncomfortable reality. However, in order to protect ourselves, our organizations, and the world's collective data, we must understand it.

How Should We Understand Ransomware | Fels Institute of Government 2018 is the year of ransomware. It’s a sign of the times: threats that were once clearly delineated are blurring. Money-motivated versus state-motivated. Corporate level versus nation-state level.

A number of cities, including Philadelphia, are carrying out strategic workforce-development interventions to improve local economies.

Business-School Partnerships as an Economic Development Strategy | Fels Institute of Government Economic development has become a topic discussed with increasing frequency in recent years. The broad phrase encompasses an almost endless list of pressing issues: job creation, business attraction, neighborhood revitalization, equitable housing… the list goes on.

Employer-assisted housing programs have many benefits to employees, employers, and communities, where they act as a valuable tool for economic development and community revitalization.

Why Employers Are Turning to Employer-Assisted Housing Programs | Fels Institute of Government When it comes to jobs and economic opportunity, where a person lives can be critical. Studies have shown that as workers are forced to live further from their workplace, their productivity declines, creating many challenges for business owners.

In spite of their risks, cross-sector partnerships offer an exciting way for government to pursue novel and cost-effective approaches to delivering improved services and facilities at lower cost.

Cross-Sector Partnerships: A Novel Approach to Public Service Delivery | Fels Institute of Government Cross-sector partnerships – collaborations between the public and private or non-profit sectors – can enable governments to access external financing and expertise to help fund projects and improve service quality. In an era where state governments are still recovering from the Great Recession o...

Located Bangkok, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is a regional development arm of the United Nations. How exactly does ESCAP serve its members?

United Nations ESCAP’s Role and Visibility | Fels Institute of Government Despite the United Nations’ high profile, one of its key bodies in Asia remains relatively unknown: the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Located in Bangkok, ESCAP is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region. Found...

Very few legislators are focused on utilizing performance information despite it proving useful for organizations all around the world. Why is this the case?

Why Don’t More Legislators Use Performance-Informed Information? | Fels Institute of Government Decades ago, when we first became familiar with the phrase “managing for results,” the whole idea of using measurement to help guide government budgeting and management sounded like a panacea to cure all that ailed government.

How can industries (and especially the tech industry) shape their workplaces to improve the hiring and retention of women? Contributor Merritt Baer discusses:

Concrete Strategies for Hiring and Retaining Women in Tech (or Any Industry) | Fels Institute of Government Emerging tech and cybersecurity are among the worst fields for hiring and retaining women. Concretized by uber engineer Susan J. Fowler’s blog post a year ago, we have seen increasing awareness of the fact that unfortunately, women in tech experience rough treatment across the board.

Understanding the effects of rapid Internet development in places like Bhutan can inform our understanding of technology structures and their transformative effects in American society.

Bhutan: From Pre-Tech to One of the Most Wired Countries | Fels Institute of Government Bhutan is a small Himalayan kingdom, wedged physically and politically between India and China. Their rapid Internet development is a unique test case of the impact of technological growth, and understanding its development can inform how we view technology structures in the US.

Performance indicators are focused and essential frameworks for monitoring an organization's progress towards its intended impact. Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft discusses:

Performance Indicators: Tips & Lessons Learned | Fels Institute of Government “People operate off of beliefs and biases. To the extent you can eliminate both and replace them with data, you gain a clear advantage.” ―Michael Lewis, Author, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair GameWhen it comes to tracking progress towards your organization’s desired impact, indicato...

Crowdfunding is a democratizing force with the potential to create more inclusive outcomes in the allocation of capital.

Equity Based Crowdfunding | Fels Institute of Government When people talk about “equity based crowdfunding”, they are usually referring to shares. There is debt passed crowdfunding (Kiva), perks based crowdfunding (Kickstarter), donation based crowdfunding (GoFundMe), and equity based crowdfunding (CircleUp). But when I say equity based crowdfunding i...

Many organizations provide policy suggestions to governments. However, in order to effectively evaluate these policies, they must keep three things in mind.

What Makes an Effective Policy Evaluation? | Fels Institute of Government Think tanks have a major role in policy advocacy and policy evaluation, but, how do they provide correct and practical policy suggestions to local and central governments? Whilst working at the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, a think tank in Beijing, China, I thought about this question.?...