Recent Discussion
The introduction of factory manufacturing in the developing world changed the lives of more than a billion people, and in doing so, it helped to lift an entire continent out of extreme poverty. Factories in developing countries are often portrayed as involuntary labor camps at worst and as centers of coercive employment at best. Hot, dark, dangerous, a wholly unwelcoming place where workers are conscripted against their interests to toil for the betterment of Western civilization.
While this picture of the factory may feel temptingly intuitive, it is far from an accurate picture of modern industrialization and manufacturing in low- and middle-income countries. For more than fifty years, the factory has provided an escape from the crushing immiseration and unfathomable drudgery of subsistence farming.
Subsistence farming in low-and middle-income...
This is a linkpost for: https://www.palladiummag.com/2023/09/07/its-time-for-greater-san-francisco/
If there’s one thing that the millions living across the San Francisco Bay Area can agree on, it’s this: things are falling apart. From homelessness and fentanyl to rents that are unaffordable even on six-figure median incomes, the lack of tangible progress on these issues gives the impression that the Bay Area is fundamentally ungoverned, and maybe even ungovernable.
This is strange because governments are the one thing the Bay Area does not lack. The region is made up of 101 municipalities distributed among nine large counties. In addition, numerous agencies and institutions operate across these boundaries. One might expect that the fight for talent and capital in the region would force these myriad administrations into competence, but this never seems to happen.
In...
I'm a Roots of Progress fellow, and I've been researching the interplay between large governments (like the US or the EU) and more local governments (like states or EU countries). The 10th Amendment gives states lots of power to self-govern, but not the money to do it. I'm curious why states receive such a small percentage of tax revenue if the intention was for us to manage our own communities locally? Does anyone have any good sources on our tax structures and how they are meant to support local vs. federal governments?
Thank you so much!
The short version: I’m creating a new kind of government degree for adults in NYC, and if you want to help, have experience teaching or researching, or know someone who might be interested, let me know (daniel@maximumnewyork.com, or DM me on Twitter)!
I’m currently developing a complete educational program that I currently call the “citizens law degree.” It takes less than a year to fully complete, teaches students about the city/state government foremost (although they’ll learn about the federal level too), and gives them a comprehensive model of how their government and law work. This will also be mixed with practical doing and interacting with the political system; it’s not just a classroom and theory, although those both have their place.
It will be offered as affordably as possible,...
I think it would add a lot of value to this post to emphasize that this is already something that's being implemented / you already have the infrastructure for. Like Dumbledore's Army, I would have a lot of skepticism towards this if it wasn't clear that this was already being put into practice / the way was already paved. My first thought was to comment on practicalities and purpose. Since it's already in practice or on the way to being there, knowing that fact would allow people like me to move on and give comments that are more relevant to the project in its current state.
This week, twenty talented progress intellectuals begin their eight-week blog-building intensive journey.
We’re delighted with the quality of these fellows. We selected them out of nearly 500 applicants, after conducting over 80 interviews. It was hard to choose just 20 (and we’re thankful that we were able to raise more funding to welcome 20 instead of 15; it would have been gut-wrenching to say no to 5 more great people: a special callout to our fellowship program supporters, O’Shaughnessy Ventures and alpha.school.)
When we announced this program in July, a crucial open question was “is there enough talent out there worth accelerating?” We now know the answer is a resounding yes. Our fellows:
Will explain and advocate for a wide range of progress topics: from longevity to biotech to health care...
Some books stand out, not necessarily for their compelling style, but for the insights they offer. “The Knowledge Machine” by Michael Strevens delves deep into the interplay between systems thinking and human nature, starting with a thought-provoking idea: most people lack the inherent drive to pursue knowledge. It's the systems in place that propel them forward. At the heart of the book's argument is the 'Iron Rule': the idea that scientific explanations should be grounded exclusively in empirical evidence, sidelining personal biases or philosophical interpretations.
Progress, as we understand it, is underpinned by scientific thinking. Yet, this mindset isn't innate. Children are not born with a scientific temperament; in fact, they often exhibit the opposite. Even adults, who may apply scientific rigor in one domain, might abandon it...
Announcements
- The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised is available for pre-order (via @JimPethokoukis)
- Asimov Press is “an editorially-independent venture that will publish books and essays that make sense of biology, AI, and our collective future” (via @AsimovBio and @NikoMcCarty, who will be its first editor)
- Statecraft, a new newsletter from the Institute for Progress, is an interview series about how policymakers actually get things done (via @rSanti97)
- HumanProgress.org has been revamped, including a new interactive data page that lets you create your own visualizations (via @Marian_L_Tupy)
- Maximum New York raised $17,500 of its $150,000 goal in the first week of its fundraiser. Founder Daniel Golliher is also starting chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma—he says the prognosis is good, but send your best wishes (via @danielgolliher)
- The US Megaprojects
A quasi-monthly feature. Recent blog posts and news stories are generally omitted; you can find them in my links digests. I’ve been busy helping to choose the first cohort of our blogging fellowship, so my reading has been relatively light. All emphasis in bold in the quotes below was added by me.
Books
Joel Mokyr, The Lever of Riches: Technological Creativity and Economic Progress (1990). I’ve been a big fan of Mokyr ever since the start of this project; his book A Culture of Growth was part of my initial motivation. I’m only a few chapters in to Lever of Riches, but it’s excellent so far. Most intriguing so far is his comment that classical civilization was “not particularly technologically creative” even though it was “relatively literate and mobile,...
I am experimenting with pulling more social media content directly into these digests, in part to rely less on social media sites long-term (since content might be deleted, blocked, paywalled, etc.) That makes these digests longer, but it means there is less need to click on links.
I will still link back to original social media posts in order to give credit and make sharing easier. As always, let me know your feedback.
Opportunities
- Homeworld Ideas, a biotech writing contest. “Share your vision about how biology can enable a positive and sustainable future” (via @NikoMcCarty)
- Writers’ salon from Works in Progress + Stripe Press on 9/14, apply here (via @_TamaraWinter)
- Foresight’s AI Safety Grant Program (via @foresightinst)
- Oklo (advanced nuclear) is hiring. “We are especially looking for outstanding mechanical engineers … as well
Funny enough, Chicago didn't have a dramatic consolidation, but it is the result of a lot of annexation. During the failed 1912 SF consolidation, Chicago was also held up as an example of a successful consolidation. Toronto consolidated in the 1990s. So it can still happen.
Transit is challenging. As I talk about in the piece, I don't think that every consolidation makes sense. You can't say "it's all integrated" or "there's regional rail, so become one city!" and free-riding is a timeless problem. SF is is somewhat unique at this point in time in how uniqu... (read more)