Although it long-seemed like a fantasy, cities and city governments across the country are now starting to reckon with the fact that autonomous vehicles will soon be the next reality. Given that the CEO of ride-sharing company Uber recently announced his plans to have self-driving cars in service by the summer of 2019 and that…
Tag: cclp
Empowering the Public Through Open Data: Findings & Recommendations for City Leaders in Los Angeles County
Over the past year the Civic Tech USC research team here at the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) has been investigating what cities in Los Angeles County are doing to make their government data easily accessible to the public. Cities already collect vast troves of information, such as crime stats, budgets/financial expenditures, code…
Civility No More: Where Are the Better Angels of Politics?
This article by CCLP senior fellow Dan Glickman was originally published on The Huffington Post. In 1860 as this nation stood on the brink of civil war, President Abraham Lincoln implored Americans and their political leaders to think of, “the better angels of our nature,” before committing totally to the dissolution of the Union. To…
2016: We Need More Healing, Not More Division
This article by CCLP senior fellow Matthew Dowd was originally published on The Huffington Post. There is an old Cherokee Native American legend about the two wolves that feels once again apropos for today’s conversation in our country (I have cited this before in a previous column), and the emergence of the Summer of Trump….
Uses for Anger in Making a Better World
This article by CCLP senior fellow Matthew Dowd was originally published in the Huffington Post. Is anger a bad thing? What should we do if a person is angry or a large group of voters is angry and frustrated? Call that person names, tell them they shouldn't be angry, ignore it? Observing the last few weeks, especially the rise of Donald Trump, and to some degree Sen. Bernie Sanders, made me cognizant of the brewing anger and distrust that exists in America today. And made me pause and wonder about the questions posed above, and what to do with the……
Russia’s Stalinist diplospeak
This article by CCLP visiting fellow Vasily Gatov was originally published in The Daily Beast. A Russian linguist closely examines how the Russian Foreign Ministry's communication has resurrected the creepy old Soviet style. Russian is a tough language to learn not because of the complex tenses and six cases, but because the style of communication is what matters most. The Russian style not only expresses the mood of the speaker or writer, a certain political situation, or the time and circumstances of the moment; the Russian style also "smells." Or stinks. Thus, Russian politics are all about the style of……
The Large Field of Candidates Reflects Our Current Politics
This op-ed by CCLP senior fellow Matthew Dowd was originally published in the New York Times. The quantity of candidates running for president won't matter so much as the quality of leadership and vision that emerges by the end of the process. Having numerous candidates didn't hurt Democrats in 1992 and 2008 when they fielded double digits numbers. Presidents Bill Clinton and Obama made it through successfully while becoming better candidates. The large field is reflective of four things: three concern our current political environment, and one a reflection of our culture. First, the large field is a sign that……
Why China’s stock market bubble was always bound to burst
This article by CCLP senior fellow Orville Schell was originally published in the Guardian (UK). Over the past few weeks, punters in China underwent a near-death experience when their country's two stock exchanges entered freefall. The rapidly inflating bubble that had driven share prices to dizzying heights had suddenly burst. By this spring, the stock markets in Shanghai, with 831 listed companies, and Shenzhen, with 1,700, boasted a combined market capitalization of $9.5 trillion, which made them – along with the much older Hong Kong exchange – the second-largest financial market in the world…….
The Ultimate Job Interview: Who is Doing the Hiring?
This article by CCLP senior fellow Matthew Dowd was originally published in the Huffington Post. In the 2016 Presidential general election which voters will ultimately determine victory? So often in life we have to communicate to a group of folks by giving a speech or talk or we need to interview with someone we have never met before for a job we are seeking. And I have learned the best strategy in getting ready to do this effectively is to try and figure out who your target audience is. Who are they, what do they care about, what is their……
The Next UN Secretary-General: An Experienced Woman to Foster Global Food Security
This article was originally published in Huffington Post. Food security and related humanitarian needs present the great unacknowledged challenges of the 21st century. While conflicts in countries like Syria and Ukraine dominate the daily news cycle, and longer-term concerns about climate change and energy security are frequently aired, the problem of hunger and the emergence of new threats to world food supplies receive far less attention than they merit. These problems contribute directly to political instability, forced migration and violence. Without sustained focus at an international level and the commitment of adequate resources to address the problems, there is a……