Public Problems

The world is changing fast. Political risk - the probability that a political action could significantly impact a company's business - is affecting more businesses in more ways than ever before. A generation ago, political risk mostly involved a handful of industries dealing with governments in a few frontier markets. Today, political risk stems from a widening array of actors, including Twitter users, local officials, activists, terrorists, hackers, and more. In today's globalized world, there are no "safe" bets.

In the face of unprecedented global change, New York Times best-selling author Alec Ross proposes a new social contract to restore the balance of power between government, citizens, and business.

Governor Charlie Baker, one of the most popular governors in the United States, with a reputation for getting things done, wants to put the service back into public service. Results is the much-needed implementation guide for anyone in public service, as well as for leaders and managers in large organizations hamstrung by bureaucracy and politics. With a broad range of examples, Baker, a Republican, and Kadish, a Democrat, show how to move from identifying problems to achieving results in a way that bridges divides instead of exacerbating them.

Bad-Ass Solutions isn’t about solving problems like what to watch on Netflix tonight. It addresses the big-a-- threats to us and even our civilization, such as global warming, homelessness, and mass killings. This refreshingly NONPARTISAN book is for all of us who are frightened, frustrated and pissed off about these critical issues that just aren’t being addressed.

In many US cities, gun violence is the most urgent crime problem. High rates of deadly violence make a city less livable, dragging down quality of life, economic development, and property values. How can police departments find the right balance between over- and under-policing of high-violence areas? What are the best practices for police to preempt and deter gun violence, while engendering support and cooperation from the public?

When Mark Zuckerberg announced in front of a cheering Oprah audience his $100 million pledge to transform the Newark Schools - and to solve the education crisis in every city in America - it looked like a huge win for then-mayor Cory Booker and governor Chris Christie. But their plans soon ran into a constituency not so easily moved - Newark's key education players, fiercely protective of their billion-dollar-per-annum system.

Practical Life Skills for Teens: How to Manage Money and Time, Communicate with Ease, Cook, Clean, and Build Healthy Habits. Master These Essentials and Take on the Future with Confidence! Equip Your Teen with the Skills They Need to Thrive in the Real World! Is your teen prepared to face the challenges of adulthood? In today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world, it's natural to worry about whether they have the tools to manage their time, money, and responsibilities effectively. Many parents share these concerns, asking themselves: Will my teen know how to manage their money wisely? Can ...

You know him as the founder of Microsoft; the philanthropic, kind-hearted billionaire who has donated endless funds to good causes around the world. But there's another side to Bill Gates. Combining rich storytelling and ground-breaking reporting, The Good Billionaire offers listeners a provocative and timely counter-narrative about one of the world's most widely recognized individuals - a true global celebrity with a truly global audience.

Bitter fighting over deficits, taxes, and spending bedevils Washington, D.C., even as partisan gridlock has brought the government to the brink of default. Yet the more politicians on both sides of the aisle rant and the citizenry fumes, the more things seem to remain the same. White House Burning looks squarely at the burgeoning national debt and proposes to defuse its threat to our well-being without forcing struggling middle-class families and the elderly into poverty.

We used to make things in this country. We were the dazzling innovators, the undisputed world economic leaders, and with our manufacturing engine driving the process, we built a solid, high-achieving middle class. Now, thanks to policies that are either indifferent - or downright hostile - to manufacturing, we're at the brink of losing it all. If you think this won't affect you, guess again. Author Andrew N. Liveris presents a powerful case for the critical importance of domestic manufacturing.

Outraged by the downward spiral of American intellect and culture, Michael R. LeGault offers the flip side of Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling phenomenon Blink, which celebrated impulse thinking over factual knowledge or critical analysis. If best-selling books are advising us to not think, LeGault argues, it comes as no surprise that sharp, incisive reasoning is on the decline, leading our society to incompetence and failure.

Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. As a nation, America has cycled through the same defense and intelligence issues since the end of the Cold War. In Insanity Defense, Congresswoman Jane Harman chronicles how four administrations have failed to confront some of the toughest national security policy issues and suggests achievable fixes that can move us toward a safer future.

There was a time in this country when people who were well-off had two homes, and the super-rich may have had three residences. In 2008 a prominent politician was asked how many homes he had. He didn’t know. The number was eight...and in the ensuing years the income gap has only widened. Billionaires now have so much money and power that the very fabric of our nation is coming unraveled. Tax policy is fundamental to a nation’s stability. We need to return to the system that brought us a large, dynamic, educated middle class.

Ron Dimon's thought-leading second edition of the book originally entitled Enterprise Performance Management Done Right, published in 2012, is a practical road map for using connected planning to develop an agile organization and to navigate the complex enterprise performance management landscape.

Define the Problem: A Step-by-Step Approach to Defining Transport Challenges is a practical guide for early-career transport professionals facing the complexities of modern transport challenges. The book, part of the Smart Transport Strategy Guides series, aims to equip professionals with the critical skill of problem definition in the context of planning infrastructure, developing policy, and advising decision-makers. It emphasizes that in a world of increasing complexity and rising expectations, accurately defining transport problems is crucial. Key takeaways from the book include: ...

Perhaps nothing is more unfair in America than the vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Tax policy, as practiced in the US, consists basically of tinkering around the edges. It concludes and argues that only a small tax on wealth is fair and how elimination of all other taxes and fees will result in a more perfect free-market economy, elimination of government's borrowing at the expense of future generations, and a society more like the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. It also discusses what it will take to bring about such a taxation revolution.

Author Dirk Eldredge demonstates how the drug war has led only to overcrowded courts and prisons, rising crime, official corruption, eroded civil rights and race relations, and new public-health crises. He makes the case for an alternative strategy: tightly controlled legalization accompanied by expanded drug education, prevention, research, and treatment programs.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, one economic model emerged triumphant. Capitalism - spanning a spectrum from laissez-faire to authoritarian - shapes the market economies of all the wealthiest and fastest-growing nations. The trouble is cracking its shiny veneer. In the US, economic growth is no longer matched by economic development. Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, natural resources are exploited for short-term profits, and good jobs are hard to find.

Early in the crisis, a global volunteer collaboration called Pivot Projects was formed to rethink how the world works. Some members are experts in the sciences and the humanities; others are environmental activists or regular people who see themselves as world citizens. In The Pivot, the journalist Steve Hamm - who embedded in the enterprise from the start - explores their efforts and shows how their approach provides a model for achieving systemic change.

Congresswoman and Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz challenges the nation to resolve tough issues for future generations. She conveys a vision of an America that has learned hard lessons from its recent past, an America galvanized by a renewed sense of purpose for applying that wisdom through forward-thinking policies on education, civil rights, and foreign policy.