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Of Kings, Pawns and Horse-Trading: Barriers to Transportation Solutions in the Philippines

08.8.19

World War II leveled Manila. The war destroyed infrastructure and seriously damaged critical parts of Southeast Asia’s first railway system. In response to the devastation and operators’ failure to address transportation demands, army-surplus trucks were repurposed into “Jeepneys” intended to accommodate 16–24 passengers. Temporary certificates to operate were extended to underfinanced operators so long as […]

Key Questions About Our Future Are Hidden in Congressional Budget Debates

12.8.15

BY JASON PEUQUET With all the rancor in the past few years about government shutdowns, debt ceilings, special budget commissions or committees, and fiscal cliffs, it is easy to think that U.S. budget policy is more about theatrical clashes of personality, and kicking the can down the road than about actual public policymaking. And it […]

Everybody Loves Space But Nobody Wants to Pay for it

10.30.15

BY DAVID PAYNE Packed seats, people standing wherever they could find space, and a rush towards the stage at the end to meet the event’s stars. That scene, characteristic of a pop star’s reception, unfolded on October 27th when NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and 100-Year Starship Principal Dr. Mae Jemison spoke at Harvard’s JFK Jr. […]

Science, Technology and Data

The Rise of a Narrative: Thomas Piketty at the Kennedy School

04.25.14

  BY JOSH RUDOLPH The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else. – John Maynard Keynes Friday afternoons tend to be subdued affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. But the afternoon […]

Participatory Budgeting: Reimagining Civic Engagement in the City of Boston

04.2.14

BY CROSBY BURNS A preliminary version of this post originally appeared on the Ash Center’s Challenges to Democracy blog Last year the City of Boston unveiled its plans to devote a portion of its capital budget towards a participatory budget, a social innovation that aims to reimagine citizen engagement, the appropriations process, and democratic participation. […]

Smart Stimulus Amid Deepening Debt: Future-Flow Tax Credits

04.1.12

By William Werkmeister This article was originally published in the 2012 edition of the Kennedy School Review. Entering 2012, the world finds itself in a precarious financial position. In January of this year, the World Bank released its new economic outlook, warning of a global, double-dip recession. “An escalation of the crisis would spare no […]

Public Finance

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