Consilience. The word of the day, Year, Decade or Epoch? I recently [briefly] participated in a planning session and debate [through my WhaleSongServices consultancy business ] with an ex-colleague and some of his senior/executive staff regarding particular public policy challenges for a Government Department in the near to medium term [5-10 years] and the broader strategic needs of their planning. We…
The vaccination "debate" continues/exists. I checked, it is February 2015. This is the 21st century [by most calendars] Another outstanding contribution to the public-health policy debate [sadly] by the Guardian US interactive team of Rich Harris, Nadja Popovich and Kenton Powell Reason and the public good appear less a component of modern society than I was aware. In response to those that wish to open…
Science at its best. Stanford Professor Andrei Linde [known as the father of inflation] is given the news that his life's-work appears to be confirmed by the BICEP2 experiment based at the south-pole and his first reaction is.. "if it is true......" "do I believe just because it is beautiful?" http://youtu.be/ZlfIVEy_YOA Links Professor Andrei Linde Stanford News BICEP2 - Harvard…
I hear this a lot, actually... The Alliance for Useful Evidence champions the use of evidence in social policy and practice. They are an open–access network of more than 1,700 individuals from across government, universities, charities, business and local authorities in the UK and internationally. Link: The Alliance for Useful Evidence
Those interested in evidence-based-planning or frankly, any form of rationale decision-making, will find much to interest them in the work of Nate Silver. The Business Insider reports: With Obama being declared the winner by the networks, it looks possible that Nate Silver's map will be perfect, all 50 states called correctly. Not certain yet, but really, an epic followup to 2008.…
Are we using data effectively to address inequity in our communities? Do we really know what is going on? Are we able to make confident projections? I think not. This is from a piece I wrote back in 2008 [on a website that is no longer available] and yet I feel the same question is as relevant today as it…
This is re-produced from Andrew Leigh's WebSite. Among the most interesting debates in economics today is the dispute between Jeffrey Sachs and William Easterly over how best to help the world’s poor. The discussion is interesting not only because it concerns the most important question in all of economics, but also because Sachs and Easterly happen to be exceptionally good…