#publicpolicy — Public Fediverse posts

Broad tax reform belongs at the centre of Canada’s growth agenda
#Canada #Economy #TaxReform #EconomicGrowth #Productivity #Investment #EconomicResilience #PublicPolicy #Politics #TaxPolicy #Taxes #CRA #FiscalPolicy #The14Media
https://the-14.com/broad-tax-reform-belongs-at-the-centre-of-canadas-growth-agenda/

https://www.europesays.com/ch/129944/ No-frills city budget presented to Geneva councilors | News #Budget #Economy #Geneva #GovernmentFinances #payments #PoliticalEconomy #PublicEconomics #PublicFinance #PublicPolicy #tax

RE: https://mas.to/@thecontinent/117253179327056947

'In response to Namibia’s refusal to share its national health data, the United States will stop funding its HIV-response programme from 2027'

There's a lot of interesting material in this issue but I'm curious how many folks might believe that the Australian Gvt are not under the same pressure to surrender protected datasets on Australian populations (albeit with a different set of coercions)

#ausPol #publicPolicy

'University of Melbourne architect and the lead author of the study, said animals were seeking out buildings as substitute habitats as their natural homes and hollows disappeared'

#polycrisis #clusterfuck #habitat #publicPolicy

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/06/possums-in-the-roof-koalas-in-bed-study-shows-how-animals-resort-to-australian-homes-after-habitat-loss

Canadian governments are taking different paths back to the office
#Canada #ReturnToOffice #RemoteWork #HybridWork #Government #PublicService #PublicServants #WorkFromHome #Politics #PublicPolicy #Labour #Employment #GovernmentPolicy #PublicTransit #Equity #Economy
https://the-14.com/canadian-governments-are-taking-different-paths-back-to-the-office/

RE: https://mastodon.social/@grantpotter/117005424230561261

'For years, activists in Australia pushing for a different approach to psychedelic drugs like ecstasy or magic mushrooms were banging against a locked door. And then, almost without warning, the door swung open, not just in this country but all over the world'

#drugReform #publicPolicy #raveCulture #ptsd #mentalHealth

U.S. Supreme Court’s Recent Decisions – What They Mean for You

The U.S. Supreme Court has wrapped up another historic term, issuing several decisions that could affect millions of Americans. From digital privacy and voting rules to presidential authority and gun rights, the Court’s rulings have implications that reach far beyond Washington, D.C.

Whether you live in Raleigh, North Carolina, or anywhere else in the country, here’s a straightforward look at some of the Court’s most significant recent decisions and how they may impact your daily life.

Digital Privacy: Geofence Warrants Face New Constitutional Limits

One of the term’s biggest technology and privacy decisions involved geofence warrants—court orders that require companies like Google to provide location information for devices near a crime scene.

The Supreme Court ruled that accessing this type of location history is considered a search under the Fourth Amendment and must receive constitutional protections. The case was returned to lower courts for additional review rather than creating a blanket rule for every geofence warrant. (Reuters⁠)

What This Means for You

• Stronger recognition of digital privacy rights.
• Law enforcement may face stricter legal standards before obtaining broad location data.
• Smartphone users could receive greater constitutional protection over their location history.

Presidential Power Over Federal Agencies

In another closely watched case, the Court expanded presidential authority by allowing the President greater power to remove members of certain independent federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The ruling overturned a major precedent that had been in place since 1935. (Reuters⁠)

What This Means for You

Potential long-term effects could include:

• Changes in how independent federal agencies operate.
• Different approaches to consumer protection and business regulation depending on the administration in power.
• Increased presidential influence over parts of the federal government.

Mail-In Ballots

The Supreme Court upheld laws allowing states to count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day as long as they were postmarked on or before Election Day. The decision affects voting procedures in multiple states that already use similar rules. (The Guardian⁠)

What This Means for You

• Voters in states with these laws may continue to have mailed ballots counted if they meet state deadlines.
• Election officials will continue following their state’s existing ballot-counting rules unless state legislatures change them.

Gun Rights Continue to Expand

The Court issued decisions that broaden protections under the Second Amendment, including striking down certain restrictions on carrying firearms on private property open to the public and limiting enforcement of one federal firearm prohibition. The rulings also signal that the Court may hear additional firearm-related cases in future terms. (Reuters⁠)

What This Means for You

• Some state and local firearm restrictions may face additional legal challenges.
• Future Supreme Court decisions could further shape gun laws nationwide.
• State firearm regulations may continue evolving through litigation.

Why These Decisions Matter

Supreme Court decisions often become the law of the land, influencing:

• Personal privacy
• Voting and elections
• Consumer protections
• Government authority
• Criminal investigations
• Constitutional rights

Many of these rulings will continue to be interpreted by lower courts, meaning their full impact may not be known for months or even years.

How Could North Carolina Residents Be Affected?

For people across Raleigh and North Carolina, these decisions may influence:

• Privacy protections involving smartphones and digital technology.
• Future election procedures and voting policies.
• Consumer protections enforced by federal agencies.
• Firearm regulations challenged in federal courts.
• Future legal cases involving constitutional rights.

While some rulings take effect immediately, others simply establish legal standards that lower courts and lawmakers will apply over time.

Staying Informed

Supreme Court decisions often shape American life in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. From the apps you use on your phone to how elections are conducted and how federal agencies operate, the Court’s opinions can have lasting consequences for individuals, businesses, and local communities.

DoRaleigh.com will continue covering major legal, government, and public policy developments that matter to residents throughout Raleigh, Wake County, and the Triangle, helping explain what national decisions mean at the local level.

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Published by Bryan Tomlinson | BTDesigns.pro | DoRaleigh.com

Canadians not confident public service is prepared for the future
#Canada #Politics #PublicService #Government #Economy #PublicPolicy #MarkCarney #StateCapacity #PublicTrust #CivilService #Governance #Taxpayers #Trade #Leadership #Federal #Populism
https://the-14.com/canadians-not-confident-public-service-is-prepared-for-the-future/

This new book explains why your elderly parents’ retirement home, the nursery where you drop your children, or the company that pipes water into your kitchen is taken over by an increasingly intricate and deregulated industry.

If a private equity fund is "buying something using a lot a debt, [then] all of that debt is loaded onto the company that the private equity fund has acquired."
"Private equity has moved into care homes, housing, water, nurseries and other essential services."
"We have the power for it to be done otherwise."

Hettie O’Brien: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAJKiVQZaks via @oscarjiminy

#mortality #publicHealth #housing #publicServices #retirement #careHomes #hospital #expansion #development #LBO #privateFinance #finance #privateFinance #privateEquity #capitalism #publicPolicy #assets #England #Wales #Scotland #privateSector #UK #Britain #Blackstone #property #realEstate #buildToRent #Macquarie #childCare #careIndustry #taxBreaks #pensions #extraction

Nudge theory was all about taking responsibility – but it allowed big business to look the other way
#NudgeTheory #BehavioralEconomics #PublicPolicy #CorporateAccountability #SystemicChange #Economics #SocialPolicy #ClimatePolicy #Governance #Inequality
https://the-14.com/nudge-theory-was-all-about-taking-responsibility-but-it-allowed-big-business-to-look-the-other-way/

Financial literacy needs a co-ordinator, not more pamphlets
#Canada #FinancialLiteracy #PersonalFinance #Economy #Education #Retirement #Investing #Banking #PublicPolicy #Japan #JFLEC #FinancialEducation #MoneyManagement #Finance #Policy #EconomicReform
https://the-14.com/financial-literacy-needs-a-co-ordinator-not-more-pamphlets/

Upcoming #lecture talk at #UVIC.

From #Forests Frayed to Forests Renewed.
April 16, 2026.

Join us April 16, 2026 at the University of Victoria for a thought-provoking talk with keynote speaker Ben Parfitt as he explores, Forests Frayed to Forests Renewed: The Case for Rezoning BC’s Public Lands.

Ben has covered #forestry and natural resource issues in #BritishColumbia since the 1980s both as a journalist and in his previous role as senior public policy analyst with the now-closed Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office. He is currently a reporter with The Tyee where he covers the forestry and oil and gas industries, among others, and their impacts on critical natural resources like water.

In his talk, Ben will explain the consequences of today’s outdated land use policies and outline how rezoning BC’s public lands can set us on a more desirable course by conserving at-risk primary forests, restore lands scarred by industrialization and support jobs in a refocused, value-oriented forest industry.

Whether you’re an activist, policy maker or someone passionate about environmental preservation this is a talk you won’t want to miss.

University of Victoria – [Lecture Theatre HSD A240]
Tickets: $20
https://bcpolicy.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F35215

#BCpoli #CDNpoli #PublicPolicy #BCForestryReform #StopEcocide #NaturalResources #Degrowth #CarbonFootprint #FossilFuels #environmental #climate #PolicyChange #PolicyReform #WeCantDrinkOil #WeCantBreatheGas #StopDeforestation #WeCantEatDeadForests #YYJ #VictoriaBC

“Distracted from distraction by distraction”*…

Don Moynihan argues that here has been a shift in the character– the instincts, the motivations, and thus the patterns of decision and action– of our government…

One of the strangest moments to emerge from the U.S. kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro was the flurry of images posted by President Trump on Truth Social. It felt a bit like a student who can’t decide which spring break photos look cutest, so they just upload them all.

The intent seemed to be to create an iconic image reminiscent of the White House Situation Room during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden—a gathering of stoic men (no girls allowed!) staring grimly at some unseen screen. The message: “Look how serious and important our work is!” Yet, the staged nature of these photos undermines that effect, leaving the whole scene feeling less like history in the making and more like an amateur theater production of a Broadway classic.

In one image, the Director of the CIA, the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of Defense are grouped around a laptop. Behind them, unmistakably, a screen displays a feed from X—complete with a prominent yellow emoji. In other pictures, “Venezuela” appears to be in the search box.

With the best intelligence systems in the world at their fingertips, they were checking X in the midst of the mission? Combined with the curtains separating some section of Mar‑A‑Lago from the rest of the President’s resort, the images create an almost surreal air. It felt as if a group of twelve-year-old boys in a basement had been handed control of the most lethal military in history—and were using it to boost their online brands.

Trump is undoubtedly the American president who has most effectively wielded social media: drawing attention, reshaping norms, and fueling conspiracy theories. The successful use of social media, for example, turned avowed MAGA isolationists into enthusiastic colonial imperialists overnight.

But I want to suggest that what we are witnessing from the Trump administration is not just skillful manipulation of social media—it’s something more profoundly worrying. Today, we live in a clicktatorship, ruled by a LOLviathan. Our algothracy is governed by poster brains.

It’s worth remembering that social media operates like a drug, feeding us dopamine and rewiring our brains’ reward pathways. The fundamentally unhealthy dynamics are worsened by the fact that standing out online often demands being awful—channeling negative emotions like anger and outrage, usually based on misinformation or conspiracy theories.

None of this is new. Indeed, there is a booming political science literature on the effects of social media on voter behavior. Chris Hayes and others have written persuasively about the how toxic attention farming is for us personally and for our democracy. But I want to make the case that we should also consider how social media it is affecting how policymakers use public power.

What I’m arguing is that the Trump administration isn’t just using social media to shape a narrative. Many of its members are deeply addicted to it. We would be concerned if a senior government official was an alcoholic or drug addict, knowing it could impair judgment and decisionmaking. But we should be equally concerned about Pete Hegseth and Elon Musk’s social media compulsions—just as much as their alcohol or ketamine use, respectively.

Overexposure to online engagement has cooked the brains of some of the most powerful people in the world. This is not exclusively an American phenomenon. President Yoon Suk Yeol seemed to have genuinely believed online conspiracy theories about election fraud, motivating his declaration of martial law and triggering a constitutional crisis, and his eventual arrest, in Korea.

But in the US government, poster brain feels endemic. The Trump administration is made up of a cabinet of posters. For many, that’s how they won Trump’s attention. The head of the FBI, for example, is a podcaster—that’s his main qualifier for the job.

They view the world through a social media lens in a way that is plausibly corrupting their judgment and undermining their performance. Lets think through how poster brain can affect how people in government operate…

[Moynihan explores, with illustrative examples, online bubbles, conflicts between professional and online indentities, the degradation of professional norms and work practices, and the altering of decision-making to be responsive to social media– to create content]

I’m just scratching the surface here. Pick any federal agency, and you can find examples of poster brains making important decisions. This trend is likely to only get worse as digital natives enter key government roles. And there are likely a host of other ways these patterns are undermining the professional behavior of people in government that I have not identified. In particular, the Trump administration represents the intersection of poster brain, personalism, and authoritarianism that seems especially toxic…

… The bottom line is that it we need to take more seriously how social media has rewired the brains—and behavior—of those running our country.

Eminently worth reading in full: What happens to government when everything is content? “Life Under a Clicktatorship,” from @donmoyn.bsky.social.

See also: “The Trump-Flavored Content Administration,” from @cooperlund.online, and “How ICE Makes Raids Go Viral,” from @taylorlorenz.bsky.social.

And a bit orthogonal, but apposite: “The year of technoligarchy,” from @molly.wiki.

* T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

###

As we recommit to real life, we might recall that today in National Static Electicity Day.

source

Ken Paxton’s push for consolidation of state authority in Texas raises important questions. GOP lawmakers are advancing a "Death Star" law that limits local governments from enacting progressive policies, affecting diverse areas from urban planning to poverty alleviation programs. Critics like Steven Pedigo warn it undermines local governance and effective solutions to urban issues. Explore the impact of these legislative shifts in detail. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/05/texas-legislature-republicans-progressive-policies-cities/ #TexasLegislation #LocalGovernance #ProgressivePolicies #KenPaxton #GOP #UrbanPolicy #PublicPolicy #BikeLanes #GuaranteedIncome #LegislativeOverreach

"Until recently, the politically explosive nature of inflation had been forgotten in wealthy countries. It was often dismissed as a problem afflicting less mature democracies and developing countries. Yet inflation turned out to be the Achilles’ heel of what was otherwise a strong U.S. economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic—and it sank the Democrats’ bid to retain power in 2024. Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect, triumphed in part because he signaled to voters that he understood their economic distress. For their part, the Democrats failed to acknowledge the depth of the crisis and shied away from fully embracing policies that could have relieved the pressure on ordinary Americans.

Still, the Democrats’ defeat was not inevitable. Other incumbent parties succeeded in winning elections in 2024 because they took steps beyond adjusting interest rates to tackle inflation and because they clearly communicated to their publics what they were doing to keep prices down. Governments in Mexico and Spain embraced bold measures, including price controls, subsidies, and both tax cuts and tax hikes. Not only did these actions help curb inflation, but they also spurred the ruling parties to victory and, in the case of Spain, helped stave off right-wing extremists. These cases show that in the fight against inflation, there are real alternatives to relying on monetary policy alone. Governments can step up and protect citizens against cost shocks in times of disasters, bolstering not only the economy but also the ruling party’s chances at the ballot box."

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/mexico/governments-survived-inflation

#Economy #PublicPolicy #Inflation #USA #DemocraticParty #Mexico #Spain #PriceControls

#Lectureship room #SGH @SGHWarsaw continuing morning seminar on #Polanyi #AI #Dataopolies #Markets #Society now lecturing #PublicPolicy citing @AaronBastani @MazzucatoM @subirats9 et al #Universities #Internationalisation #Impact #Sharing

The 2023 US 50-State National Seismic Hazard Model - Overview And Implications
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https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/science/2023-national-seismic-hazard-model-whats-shaking <-- USGS technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930231215428 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #earthquake #seismichazard #risk #hazard #shakemap #cost #economics #geology #engineeringgeology #hazardmodel #model #modeling #seismicity #faultruptures #groundmotions #probabilistic #probability #geostatistics #engineering #planning #management #mitigation #NSHM #forecast #infrastructure #publicsafety #hazardassessment #fault #faulting #structuralgeology #intensity #mercalli #buildingcode #design #publicpolicy #shakemap #engineeringrisk #future
@USGS @FEMA

"Noticing who isn't in the room is the first step. Next you can ask, What would it take to change this?" --Anna Zivarts, author of When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency.

https://islandpress.org/books/when-driving-not-option#desc

#transportation #planning #UrbanPlanning #Urbanists #PublicPolicy #PublicHealth #PoliSci #sociology #disability #accessibility #MoveEquity #MobilityJustice #EBikes #transit #micromobility #BikeTooter #inclusion #equity #CarCulture #nondrivers #WeekWithoutDriving