Navigating Public Policy, Technology, Health, Data, and Innovation for a Fairer Future
It starts the same way every time. You open a browser to check the weather, and seventeen clicks later you’re accepting cookies from a Croatian fishing blog, muting a video about luxury bathtubs, and trying to close an ad that has cleverly disguised itself as the article’s scroll bar. This isn’t the open web we Read More “Every Click You Make: The Slow Decline of the Internet (and the Hidden Cost of ‘Free’)”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has never lacked influence. But this is the first time she’s trying to wield it like a blade. Her endorsement of Assembly member Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 New York City mayor’s race marks her debut on the political stage not just as an icon, but as a kingmaker. This is the first Read More “The Crown and the Vote: AOC’s First Kingmaker Moment”
They say when the economy contracts, it takes a while for the layoffs to reach the surface. But in Indiana, they’ve arrived. Ivy Tech, our statewide community college system, just announced the elimination of over 200 jobs. Most people will read that and think “budget tightening.” But if you’ve worked in public education or research, Read More “The Bridge We’re Building”
Modern economies reward efficiency, not reflection. Our institutions—schools, platforms, governments—are calibrated to deliver outcomes, track progress, and benchmark success. In this landscape, the arts are often treated as indulgences: budget-line luxuries, extracurricular distractions, or marketplace novelties. Yet this utilitarian bias misses something profound. The arts are not ornamental. They are infrastructural. They construct emotional intelligence, Read More “Art’s Journey to Wisdom Travels the Path of a Public Good”
Homelessness in America is not a crisis of ideas. It is a crisis of follow-through. Every few years, headlines declare a renewed focus. Tent encampments become election issues. Cities deploy task forces, declare emergencies, and promise action. But if you trace the arc of U.S. homelessness policy over time, one thing becomes painfully clear: we Read More “Learning from What Already Works”
Most people believe that if a study proves something works, the system will change. That is not how it goes. We live in a country where the machinery of research is world-class, but the machinery of implementation is largely improvised. Brilliant people generate important findings. But the policies those findings should inform rarely shift in Read More “The Broken Bridge Between Research and Policy”
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a major antitrust lawsuit against Google in October 2020. That legal challenge could reshape how small businesses operate in the digital economy. This is not some arcane policy fight. It is about the tools businesses use to advertise, communicate, and compete. Google has become the infrastructure of the internet. Read More “Still Using Google? So Are 90% of Us. That’s Kind of the Problem.”
Leadership is not simply about holding power. It is about knowing when to pass it on. Senator Dick Durbin’s decision to step aside after a lifetime of public service is an act of true leadership. At a moment when many cling to office long after their energy wanes, Durbin chose instead to strengthen democracy by Read More “A Thank You to Senator Dick Durbin”
Somewhere between staying current and staying employed, there’s a gap most people don’t talk about. It’s the space between what you used to be great at and what your profession suddenly expects you to know. It’s a quiet, dangerous space. Not because people fall into it, but because they quietly age inside it. One day, Read More “Mentorship as Infrastructure”
The architecture of mass incarceration is evolving, and it is wearing a suit. This week, a plan emerged from the shadow corridors of militarized entrepreneurship. Erik Prince, the controversial founder of Blackwater, is now proposing to detain and deport undocumented immigrants by building a for-profit prison system not on American soil, but in El Salvador. Read More “From Wall Street to Cell Blocks: The Monetization of Detention in a Globalized Fear Economy”