Category: Past Issues

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Synthetic Biology and Future-Focused Policy: Consider Adding Science to Your Public Policy Toolkit

  By Rodalyn Guinto, MPP 2017 As public policy experts and experts-in-training we are challenged to evaluate two types of public problems: first are the perennial public problems — the ones that have been around since the rise of the first empires and civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia. These include poverty, unemployment, food and water insecurity, … Continue reading Synthetic Biology and Future-Focused Policy: Consider Adding Science to Your Public Policy Toolkit

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Do No Harm: How Safe Access Could Eliminate Racial Disparity in Drug Policy Enforcement

By Ryan Reaves, MPP Candidate 2018   Interacting with police can, at times, mean the difference between life and death. For cannabis users, whose lives have often necessitated regular involvement in illicit activities, police interactions likely occur more frequently. The risk may be greater still for drug users of color who live in communities disproportionately … Continue reading Do No Harm: How Safe Access Could Eliminate Racial Disparity in Drug Policy Enforcement

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Schools for Sale: The Unintended Costs of Education Philanthropy

By Tucker Brofft, MPP/MBA Candidate 2019   Who really influences K-12 education? There are a host of potential answers; the Department of Education sets national policies, the states set education standards, and your local school board makes decisions around curriculum. This question is also complicated by the financial crises many school districts are suffering. School … Continue reading Schools for Sale: The Unintended Costs of Education Philanthropy

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Stand Up and Be Counted: Why We Need the LGBT Data Inclusion Act

By Matthew Lardner, MPP Candidate 2018   Historically, the federal government has never included questions about sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI) in vital surveys like the US Census or the American Community Survey (ACS). Government officials depend on the information gathered from these types of surveys to deliver services to underserved and unserved communities. … Continue reading Stand Up and Be Counted: Why We Need the LGBT Data Inclusion Act

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Say Her Name: How You Can Support Justice for Kayla Moore

By Noah Gaiser, MPP Candidate 2019 Editor’s Note: This article contains a discussion of police violence and judicial indifference against an intersectional person of color. Reader discretion is advised.  Two weeks ago I found myself standing in silence outside Berkeley City Hall, head bowed, listening to Kayla Moore’s life story as told by her sister … Continue reading Say Her Name: How You Can Support Justice for Kayla Moore

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Dear Ms. Woodley

By Shanalee Gallagher, MPP Candidate 2018     Dear Ms. Woodley, I’m writing today to address what seems to be a pattern on your Instagram feed. While I don’t mean to persecute you personally, your recent activity is an irresistible example of the newest trend of colonization, activist appropriation. Appropriation is when individuals take something … Continue reading Dear Ms. Woodley

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The Long Haul: How the Jones Act Impedes Puerto Rican Recovery Efforts (and What You Can Do About It)

By Rick Rivera, MBA/MPP Candidate 2018 The Long Haul: How the Jones Act Impedes Puerto Rican Recovery Efforts (and What You Can Do About It) I’ve turned a corner. In the days leading up to and shortly after Hurricane Maria, I had faith that loss of life would be minimal, given that Puerto Ricans have … Continue reading The Long Haul: How the Jones Act Impedes Puerto Rican Recovery Efforts (and What You Can Do About It)

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iRAD: A Life-Saving Innovation in the Fight Against Kidney Disease

By Professor Robert Girling, Adjunct Professor of Socially Responsible Business at Mills College   Over half a million Americans are currently being kept alive by dialysis machines that make them virtual captives for hours at a time each day. Meanwhile over 120,000 patients are waiting for a transplant but only about 17,000 kidneys are available … Continue reading iRAD: A Life-Saving Innovation in the Fight Against Kidney Disease

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AB 109 – Are State Inmates Really Better Off in County Jails?

By Miguel Dwin, MPP Candidate 2018 Prior to 2011, individuals convicted of a felony offense resulting in a sentence of more than one year would serve time in state prison. The state prison term was followed by an additional period on state parole supervision under the state Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO). However, under … Continue reading AB 109 – Are State Inmates Really Better Off in County Jails?