Archive for the ‘U.S. Government’ Category

To be successful, Biden’s infrastructure plan needs to match the New Deal’s administrative excellence

June 26, 2021 | Infrastructure

To be successful, Biden’s infrastructure plan will have to emulate the New Deal’s administrative excellence Following the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act, President Joe Biden wants to modernize America’s infrastructure with his proposed $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan. Through his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, Biden is also aiming to help our …

Interview With Authority Magazine About The American Dream

April 13, 2021 | American Dream

Etienne Deffarges: I Am Living Proof Of The American Dream An Interview With Vicky Colas “Perseverance is also a key requirement for any immigrant to America, because of the very lengthy and somewhat bureaucratic process to reach citizen status. There are dozens of hurdles to overcome. None of them is unsurmountable or even very challenging, but …

“Les Trentes Glorieuses” and the American Dream

August 11, 2020 | Education

“Les Trentes Glorieuses” and The American Dream: A Father – Son Story “Les Trentes Glorieuses” is an expression that refers to the 1945 -1975 period in France following the end of the Second World War. In France as in other European countries such as West Germany, these thirty years were characterized by strong economic …

Coronavirus Crisis: U.S. States & Local Government Financial Challenges, and Impact on Public Health

May 14, 2020 | State government finances

State and Local Government Financial Challenges Caused by the Coronavirus Crisis, and Impact on Public Health ETIENNE DEFFARGES The U.S. government has provided a lot of financial relief to American households, small and large businesses, and hospitals to help mitigate the devastating economic and health impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The CARES Act totals nearly …

When Will We Know If Lifting Coronavirus Lockdowns Is “Working?”

May 10, 2020 | Lockdown

When will we know if lifting lockdowns is “working,” and what would prompt us to fall back into additional lockdowns? In the countries and U.S. states that implemented well crafted “reopening” plans, the scientific and medical criteria that convinced their governments it was safe to lift lockdowns to allow their people to go back …

Published in the Financial Times on April 27, 2020

April 29, 2020 | Covid-19

Legislation, not just investor pressure, will be needed to make companies build up buffers against shocks—in response to the April 24, 2020 Financial Times editorial, “Companies should shift from ‘just in time’ to ‘just in case.’ Pandemic has shown that businesses neglected vital safety margins.” Dear FT editor, Thank you for your excellent …

A Week in March in the U.S. During the Coronavirus Pandemic

March 25, 2020 | Coronavirus

A Week in March During the Coronavirus Pandemic March 17, 2020: Why “flatten the curve” is a big deal in the Coronavirus crisis Several recent studies have shown the “infection adoption” curve at the outset of the Coronavirus pandemic to be very similar in China, South Korea, Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Apart …

Effective Strategies to Reduce Costs and Utilization in US Healthcare

March 24, 2020 | Economy

How to Reduce US Healthcare Costs (Published March 18, 2020) Our healthcare costs keep increasing much faster than inflation, year after year. According to figures released in December 2019 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the annual growth rate of healthcare spending was 4.6% in 2018, vs. 3.9% in 2017, 4.8% …

Should Our Government Use Wellbeing Statistics?

August 21, 2019 | Wellbeing Indicators

Should our government use wellbeing indicators? “Our Gross National Product…counts air pollution and cigarette advertising…special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars …

Addressing Harvard Alumni in the Bay Area

June 25, 2019 | Alumni

HBS CAREER COACHES HIT THE ROAD TO SERVE ALUMNI Northern California Alumni Consider the High Cost of Complexity, HBS AA Article by Margie Kelley (June 2019): Though the United States currently spends approximately $3.5 trillion a year on health care—the equivalent of the entire GDP of the world’s fourth-largest economy—our life expectancy has decreased for the …