The Future in Context

Reducing traffic deaths is a compelling proposition, but it gets complicated when trying to make it so. Reduced enforcement of traffic laws, increased rates of driver impairment, cellphone distractions and street designs that prioritize speed have helped reverse long-standing traffic safety gains in American cities. Programs like Vision Zero, aimed at eliminating traffic deaths, face challenges in...

A 50-state investigation in data journalism suggests the answer is, not yet. The AI agent was insightful on a number of fronts; but, while not descending into hallucinations, its mind strayed from instructions as the experiment went on. Government Technology Data Reporter Nikki Davidson tasked Google's AI tool Gemini (formerly Bard) to explore AI's perspective on government technology use. Davidso...

The reinvention of a Virginia city built by railway robber barons as a biotech hub defies default strategies of trying to attract new players to do what was done by the companies that left or closed. The story of Roanoke shares the cover of the rebooted print edition of Governing magazine* with a feature on what states are doing to increase the availability and affordability of housing. Governing...

Lawmakers, industry players and parents are making moves to keep kids safe online, but their approaches vary widely. A bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate is intended to shield children by requiring social media platforms to turn off addictive product features, and require companies to minimize mental health risks. New York state proposed restricting what it called "unhealthy social media usage" by...

The freedom of the open road would become a little less free if congestion pricing became widespread in America. The strategy aims to reduce traffic congestion by charging variable fees for driving at certain times in certain areas. Planners and policymakers see the potential revenue to offset declining gas tax receipts as vehicles become more fuel efficient. Decades after dynamic pricing was impl...

Work is well underway in jurisdictions across the country to prepare for the next generation of doing the public's business. Governments have the unenviable task of coming to terms with the promise and pitfalls of generative AI through the strictures of public policy. On this cover story episode of the podcast, the writers and editors from our sister publication, Government Technology, take us int...

The co-author of a new book suggests that when technology, data and collective effort converge, government, the tech industry and higher education can tackle major challenges while bringing a new generation into the workforce. Arun Gupta — a venture capitalist, academic and author — champions a union of government, academia and entrepreneurship to solve societal problems, stressing tech and data's...

Mental health, climate and workforce are at the core of a complex cluster of issues confronting lawmakers in this year. Legislators are under growing public pressure to address mental health challenges, implement climate policies and stabilize public pensions, while also dealing with workforce shortages. And those are just the top of the list of issues vying for attention. Even with a relatively h...

As legislatures in 37 states are back in session this month, with another 9 set to open before April, law makers face a daunting set of challenges. Budget prospects have improved modestly but tax tensions remain as law makers deal with complex demands to deal with crises in housing and drug overdoses. Their hoppers are also filled with bills to address criminal justice reforms, transportation fund...

GovTech100 companies are likely to have an outsized role in making government better. Many now come with deep pockets thanks to investments from private equity. Government Technology 's ninth annual list of gov tech companies that are changing the way government works comes with an added twist — the injection of large sums of capital through the private equity market. Agencies are attracted to the...

There was nothing easy about it, nor was it a return to normal after the disruptive years of the pandemic, but state and local governments found ways to hold their own against persistent threats and challenges in cybersecurity and workforce issues in 2023. They also continued campaigns to refresh old IT systems and even found ways forward for urban mobility and public transit. Government Technolog...

This time next year, Americans will be casting votes in the 2024 general election. State and local races (and issues) will take place in the long shadow of a carefully watched presidential rematch. The 2024 general election follows in a tradition of modern elections dating back to 1964 that are declared (or decried) as the most important of our time. In this episode that comes one year before ball...

From inhaler watches to redesigned crutches: How a unique summer program in Birmingham is pushing boundaries in STEM education. This episode of TFIC explores the MedTech Device Experience program in Birmingham, Ala., and previews an upcoming documentary on how the unique summer program is pushing boundaries in STEM education for high school students from diverse backgrounds. The program's director...

Significant changes at X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, are forcing public agencies to adapt, revert to communications channels they control, or contemplate leaving it all together. The changes have caused public agencies to rethink what they need to do to effectively disseminate emergency and critical information while safeguarding their own credibility as even the validati...

Tara Dawson McGuinness, founder of the New Practice Lab at the New America Foundation and co-author of the newly re-released book, Power to the Public: The Promise of Public Interest Technology , joined Paul Taylor, Noelle Knell and new permanent co-host Ashley Silver for a discussion of the state of our digital union. The discussion centers on the evolution of digital government, not merely as a...

The Center for Digital Education's Aaron Gifford and Andrew Westrope unpack the special education issue of Government Technology magazine with particular emphasis on the rise of Generative AI (artificial intelligence) in the classroom. Here are links to the stories mentioned in this episode: Generative AI Hits Education, Ushering in a Sea Change for Schools Will AI in Schools Widen the Digital Div...

A 14-year-old self-taught coder is doing for government what it did not do for itself. His dad helped but he learned how to hack alongside friends at a venerable but sometimes overlooked public institution – the library. Civic hacking is generational. It still carries some of the old school hackathon vibe but people coming of age today expect to be able to get data, use it for their purposes, add...

Historian and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson offers some final thoughts on putting the First Amendment, national security and America's most (in)famous leakers -- Daniel Ellsberg, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and Chelsea Manning – in context. Clay's efforts to put things in a historical context resulted in 150 essays since March 27, 2021, 93 of which had companion podcast episodes. He moves...

Our resident humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson remembers Daniel Ellesberg, the war planner turned whistleblower after Vietnam. Stream the show from  www.tfic.tech  or subscribe to the show on the podcast app of your choice. Additional audio courtesy from the CBS Archives and YouTube.

Our resident humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson laments a country divided, again. Stream the show from  www.tfic.tech  or subscribe to the show on the podcast app of your choice. Additional audio courtesy from YouTube.

Our resident humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson has been a little perplexed by the growing number of people throwing their hat in the ring for the 2024 Republication nomination for president. Stripped to the underlying essential question, Clay asks, who would actually want that job? History tells us the journey is fraught, and once elected, the term in office, is ofen worse. Stream the show from  w...

Our resident humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson returns to our occasional series on some of the less well-known presidents of the United States. Perhaps best remembered for the dam and institute named for him, the 31 st president was known as a great humanitarian but had a low view of the role of government in improving peoples' lives. Stream the show from  www.tfic.tech  or subscribe to the show o...

Our resident humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson reminds us that the hands of the Doomsday Clock now stand at 90 seconds to midnight — the closest to global nuclear catastrophe it has ever been. Against that backdrop, the United States still struggles with its own nuclear history. Stream the show from  www.tfic.tech  or subscribe to the show on the podcast app of your choice. Additional audio courte...

Our resident humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson takes us back to the origins of the sixth president's pathetic quest for greatness and his sacrifice of happiness during a lifetime of service. Stream the show from  www.tfic.tech  or subscribe to the show on the podcast app of your choice. Additional audio courtesy of Movieclips and YouTube.

Our resident humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson laments that the public expects better from the highest court in the land and has lost trust in the judicial branch as much as the others. Echoing an ancient Roman poent, Clay asks, who will save us from our guardians? Stream the show from  www.tfic.tech  or subscribe to the show on the podcast app of your choice. Additional audio courtesy of PBS Fron...