John Kingdon and accountability
John Kingdon’s Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (1984) is now a classic in political science and policy analysis, arguing that issues attain policy salience when the streams of publicly-recognized problems, policy solutions, and politics intersect. My colleagues Larry Johnson and Kathy Borman used Kingdon’s framework to analyze higher-ed politics in Florida (and the temporary absence […]
Las Vegas graduate bets on a change of opinion(s)
Brittany McComb, this year’s valedictorian at a Las Vegas-area high school, has filed a lawsuit againt Clark County school officials for shutting off her microphone when she started a part of her draft speech that the principal and other officials judged to be proselytization. From a 2000 9th-circuit opinion, Cole v. Oroville Union High School, […]
Rice University breaks the mold in university publishing
I’m delighted to hear that Rice University is restarting its refereed university press as an online-only enterprise with print-on-demand options. I hope this provides a demonstration of the enormous stability of online publishing costs—no worries about printer costs to force presses to figure out what they can publish. The primary costs will be in the […]
The welfare state includes the military
I had a discussion with a doctoral student this afternoon about a directed-reading course for the fall, and I was explaining that the welfare state reached across different organizations and sectors. When financial advisors explained about the three-legged retirement support structure (Social Security, pensions, and private savings), they’re talking about welfare. When we say that […]
RAND researchers estimate Pittsburgh graduation, call for confirmed/audited withdrawal codes
John Engberg and Brian Gill’s new study of Pittsburgh graduation rates estimates a longitudinal 5-year graduation rate by assuming that transfers have the same risk of graduation/dropping out as those who stay in the system. They also repeat my call for documentation and auditing of transfer exit codes. And their report is getting flack from […]