Integrating benefits applications is essential to strengthening our social safety net. But too often big visions can obscure the intended outcome: getting people the help they need more efficiently. A different option: Focusing on small improvements, which can make an outsized impact in a matter of months. When you go to a hospital today your
There’s a groundswell of new work coming to government. Getting it done will require collaboration and understanding. Not sure how to make it happen? Here’s a quick primer from your friends at New America’s Public Interest Tech program.
There are many organizations working on bridging the digital divide, especially when it comes to broadband access. Their tasks are about to get a little easier — at least from a financial perspective — since the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan includes $100 billion for broadband expansion across the country. The money is earmarked to
The year is 2050. You’re in Southend-on-Sea, a town at the English seaside. It is prosperous and connected, with quality of life to match. According to the city’s vision for 2050, developed in a huge participatory effort, this dream can become a reality as the towncharts its own course to grow into a sustainable and
Digital devices are generating more and more location data — details about places and about people in places — and users are benefitting. They may use a mobile map and find it liberating being untethered to paper, able to travel more confidently. But most don’t realize they are also being tracked by their device and,
When COVID hit in March 2020, plans were already underway for a philanthropic partnership between the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and New America Chicago. A team of volunteers at Mastercard had led a similar data-driven initiative in New Orleans the year prior, using analytics to tackle economic issues in the city. Similarly, this project
My public interest technology journey began when I was working in the public sector over a decade ago and started utilizing big data. The interdependency of data and technology quickly became obvious, as well as the amount of personal information that was accessible. I was tasked with developing and implementing data privacy protocols, a practice
It seems the one thing technologists, companies, consumers, and policymakers can all agree on these days is the need for data privacy reform. But what do meaningful data privacy rights look like, and how do we ensure that they actually protect all members of our society? What good are more robust privacy rights if individuals
One in four women and one in six men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and that abuse includes much more than physical violence. Technology abuse is a large and growing problem. The Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) focuses on this issue: the intersection of technology
