Guest blog by Crystal Smitherman Being a new and young politician, I knew I had a lot of learning to do in the political sector. I had a lot of energy and great initiatives, but I still need to learn how to revamp my message and craft good policy making habits. In the midst of a…Continue Reading Tackling gun violence in Birmingham, Alabama
Guest blog by Torres Luis Oliver Being part of this course was not only an academic experience, it was also a professional experience of great impact for the development of my skills as a professional in territorial development. In this sense, having spent ten weeks learning new methodologies and mechanisms to measure economic development and growth…Continue Reading Low local supply in global value chains in Chihuahua, MX
Guest blog by Robert Sturns When I began the Leading Economic Growth program, my goal was really driven by a desire to understand how we could have a more equitable distribution of investment and jobs throughout my community. As we really begin to dig into issues of economic complexity, I discovered that our issue was much…Continue Reading Promoting Equitable Investment and Job Generation in Fort Worth, Texas
Guest blog by Maggie Jones Finding contractors in Texas right now is hard. Really hard. Finding contractors to work on a niche federally-funded home repair program with lots of red tape and paperwork is nearly impossible. Or so we thought. Fortunately for us, the many lessons from Leading Economic Growth over the last 10 weeks have…Continue Reading What Scrabble-playing Monkeys Have to Do with Contractors in Texas: Lessons from Leading Economic Growth
Guest blog by Anjan Chimaladinne On August 13, 2016, my 16-year-old son passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. My wife and I have established scholarships in his name at his high school and the college he was planning on attending. For the 4 past years we rendered help to several other social causes. In the United…Continue Reading Honoring the memory of a lost child: A father’s inspirational pursuit of policy change
Guest blog by Ken Bailey I have been privy to the legislative and public policy process for well over 10 years, mostly with an amateurish understanding and certainly lacking the tools to be consistently effective. Having muddled in this space for a number of years, I have been successful on many fronts, again more through tenacity…Continue Reading Navigating innovations in U.S. emergency services with PDIA
Guest blog by Alexandra Bhatti What an exciting, challenging, eye-opening learning and growing experience this has been for me. When I first explored the course, I was skeptical about the ratio of theoretical learning versus practice-based learning I would experience as I have spent many years studying “policy” and related fields. Listening to alumni feedback encouraged…Continue Reading ‘Don’t be so invested in the solution that you’re unwilling to change course’
Guest blog by Ocea Wynn When enrolling in the IPP Online, my initial thoughts were that this would be a course extensively focused on theory with very little practical application. I anticipated that if practical examples were presented, they would be so-far removed from the realism of local government work that this course would be another…Continue Reading Tackling workforce development in Tampa, FL using PDIA
Guest blog by Maria Viggiano As America faces a national reckoning over racial injustice and the over-policing of communities of color, the concept of “defunding the police” has become a hot topic in various cities including my hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut. As Connecticut’s largest city, Bridgeport is home to over 145,000 people, the majority of…Continue Reading Police reform in Bridgeport through PDIA: A radical approach to an old problem
Guest blog written by William Young There is nothing in the United States of America that policy does not dictate. In a world where politics touches nearly every aspect of our lives, we are surrounded by public policy. How do we get to that point? The point where policy is implemented into our daily lives, known…Continue Reading Reimagining policing and passing reparations in Asheville, NC
