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JANUARY 16, 2025 |
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Harvard Kennedy School | | | |
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People walking near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA) | | |
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Public Finance |
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What awaits the Department of Government Efficiency? HKS experts weigh in. |
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Does the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by SpaceX and Twitter CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, represent a bold new strategy to radically streamline the federal bureaucracy, or is it destined to falter like similar efforts in the past? Are the trillions in savings that Musk—the world’s wealthiest man—and Ramaswamy promise really possible? With the second Trump administration about to take office, we asked Harvard Kennedy School faculty experts how government efficacy could be improved, what reforms or savings are potentially achievable, and how the public value of governance factors in. Contributors include faculty members John Donahue, Karen Dynan, Doug Elmendorf, Jason Furman, Stephen Goldsmith, Steve Kelman, Elizabeth Linos, Paul Peterson, Roger Porter, and Malcolm Sparrow.
Learn more about Public Finance at HKS » | | |
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Public Leadership & Management |
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How Dean Jeremy Weinstein’s experiences and scholarship shaped his vision for HKS |
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Deep curiosity and rigorous scholarship. Roll-up-your-sleeves impact in the world. Those are themes that have defined Jeremy Weinstein’s personal and professional life, as well as an approach he intends to take at HKS under his leadership. “We have to demonstrate the value of the work we do—that the value proposition of investing in expertise and in a policy innovation ecosystem is one that's going to yield enormous social returns,” he said during a recent episode of the HKS PolicyCast podcast. Weinstein discussed how his life experiences shaped his career, which has encompassed field research in numerous post-conflict countries; wide-ranging scholarship in areas including political violence, economic development, and technology; and government service. He also offered his recommendations for ways to restore trust in public institutions, expertise, and scholarship.
Learn more about Public Leadership & Management at HKS » | | |
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Environment & Energy |
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Bipartisan support found when renewable energy supports states, localities, and the environment |
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Results of a recent national poll show members of both parties think some revenue from renewable energy produced on federal land should go to nearby states and local communities. The nationally representative survey of 2,000 Americans, conducted last spring, showed that 91% of Democrats, 87% of Republicans, and 87% of Independents support distributing revenues from solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects on federal land to host states and the nearby communities most likely to be impacted by them. Currently, all the money goes to Washington, D.C. The degree of agreement surprised Professor Dustin Tingley who led the survey. “I figured that there would be bipartisan support just because of the way people talked about it, but I never expected those sorts of numbers,” he said. The poll also found wide agreement that renewables on federal lands have the potential to contribute to U.S. energy needs.
Learn more about Environment & Energy at HKS » | | |
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