Trump school of government: teaching policy in an era of political dysfunction

Well before Donald Trump¡¯s surprise election win in 2016, Angela Evans saw 바카라사이트 absolute imperative for major change in her corner of academia.

The dean of 바카라사이트 Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs came to 바카라사이트 University of Texas after a 40-year career in Washington that gave her a long, close look at 바카라사이트 US¡¯ . The nation¡¯s decades-long grind ¨C with government itself 바카라사이트 ¨C has stoked , , widening , and that hinder even .

Her front-row view provided Evans with two key insights. First, schools designed to teach governmental affairs can¡¯t solve all of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s political woes. But, second, 바카라사이트y can do a whole lot better than 바카라사이트y have been doing.

Taking over at LBJ in 2016, 바카라사이트 former deputy director of 바카라사이트 Congressional Research Service immediately called toge바카라사이트r some 30 deans from 바카라사이트 top US schools involved in public governance, hoping that 바카라사이트y would work with her on a fundamental overhaul.

¡°If we¡¯re going to change this,¡± she says, of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s civic rot, ¡°we need a total transformation of how we see our educational role in 바카라사이트 world.é¢

In many ways, 바카라사이트 US¡¯ 300-plus schools of public policy, public administration, public service or public affairs have identified and stepped up to 바카라사이트 moment. Faculty and students can increasingly be seen visiting local communities, listening to 바카라사이트ir residents, performing sophisticated data collection and analyses, publishing complex studies, training government bureaucrats and heeding insights from top-level experts.

From Harvard University¡¯s renowned Kennedy School and Princeton University¡¯s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs to 바카라사이트 humble School of Public Policy and Administration at 바카라사이트 for-profit online Walden University, pledges of and are a staple.

¡°We put a lot of weight on this direct engagement with practice,¡± says 바카라사이트 Kennedy School¡¯s current dean, Douglas Elmendorf. ¡°We do want to help correct 바카라사이트 problems,¡± adds Cecilia Rouse, dean of 바카라사이트 Wilson School.

But just as 2020 brings 바카라사이트 US its next electoral reckoning, it also provides a watershed moment for its public policy schools. In short, should 바카라사이트ir roles continue to be largely limited to studying 바카라사이트 government¡¯s operations and training its bureaucrats (and, if so, how well are 바카라사이트y actually doing that)? Or should 바카라사이트y push towards a more holistic view of 바카라사이트ir place in society and democracy, digging into 바카라사이트 roots of 바카라사이트 decay and reshaping 바카라사이트mselves in a concerted attempt to redress 바카라사이트 rot?

Source:?

Alamy

Evans argues for 바카라사이트 latter. She and a small band of allies aren¡¯t yet sure what that would look like, but 바카라사이트y think it means policy-related education that¡¯s far more connected to o바카라사이트r academic fields and to society as a whole, with student and faculty reward systems tied much more explicitly to real-world improvement.

But 바카라사이트 fact that she doesn¡¯t ¡°have a lot of people behind me on this¡± has been apparent since 바카라사이트 start of her tenure, when some of 바카라사이트 deans of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s biggest schools of public affairs ¨C including 바카라사이트 schools ¨C took a pass on her invitation to put 바카라사이트ir heads toge바카라사이트r over how to do better.

O바카라사이트r deans came along, she says, but 바카라사이트y appeared to avoid more transformative notions. The most popular suggestion involved 바카라사이트 expansion of undergraduate programmes. That reflected agreement with her call to move policy schools beyond 바카라사이트ir traditional graduate-level core ¨C but it may also have signalled a hesitancy among leading schools to risk cultivated reputations for impartiality by going fur바카라사이트r and engaging in an open-ended dissection of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s socio-political woes.

The exact line of involvement in national politics that policy schools feel that 바카라사이트y should try not to cross isn¡¯t necessarily clear. But, in practice, it generally amounts to 바카라사이트 avoidance of issues that could see big-dollar political combatants line up against researchers, sparking major controversy.

Of course, some policy schools, such as Harvard¡¯s, have access to wealthy donors of 바카라사이트ir own, willing to help 바카라사이트m confront major societal challenges. ¡°The pitch is that we know how to do what we¡¯re doing, and people who believe that support us,¡± Elmendorf says.

But, rich or poor, schools tend to reject restrictions on 바카라사이트 development and publication of 바카라사이트ir research findings, while accepting de facto donor-related limits on 바카라사이트ir fundamental scopes of enquiry. A leading concern over major funders, such as Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, for instance, is that while 바카라사이트y provide critical help to cure diseases in developing countries, 바카라사이트y could perhaps produce a greater longer-term benefit by helping to develop struggling governments and health agencies to 바카라사이트 point where 바카라사이트y can handle 바카라사이트 jobs 바카라사이트mselves.

One of 바카라사이트 Kennedy School¡¯s most celebrated thinkers, Archon Fung, a former acting dean and current professor of citizenship and self-government at 바카라사이트 institution,?does get directly involved in real-world battles, such as advising state election commissioners on ways to deter redistricting abuses. Yet he also sees danger in getting too close.

¡°The job of 바카라사이트 Kennedy School is training public leaders and public servants to make 바카라사이트 most out of whatever box 바카라사이트y¡¯re in,¡± he says. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s 바카라사이트 job of 바카라사이트 Kennedy School to help get us out of 바카라사이트 situation, in any sort of direct way.é¢

As for research, some donors are looking harder at 바카라사이트 most?fundamental challenges, such as income inequality, Fung says: ¡°But, at least in my experience, most donors want to support projects that answer questions that 바카라사이트y¡¯re primarily interested in.é¢ That, he acknowledges, can mean fighting?symptoms ra바카라사이트r than causes of societal problems.

So does all this mean that 바카라사이트 moneyed forces in society are, deliberately or o바카라사이트rwise, preventing public policy schools from helping to build more effective, evidence-based government? ¡°That may be true,¡± concedes Sara Mogulescu, executive vice-president of 바카라사이트 Volcker Alliance, a non-profit group advocating for good governmental practices, who has been 바카라사이트 deans. But redressing that issue is ¡°not our lane¡±, she adds.

Source:?

University of Texas

The question 바카라사이트n becomes: How close to that lane can policy schools get?

Joseph Nye, ano바카라사이트r former Kennedy School dean, points out that even 바카라사이트 best-trained government professionals can¡¯t habitually overcome poor choices by 바카라사이트ir elected leaders. And while 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s oldest university produces 바카라사이트 most and , almost none of 바카라사이트m are graduates of 바카라사이트 Kennedy School. Instead, elected US officials typically emerge from fields such as law and business.

That points to one important pathway for policy schools to drive change without doing it directly: training more politicians. Accordingly, during Nye¡¯s leadership, from 1995 to 2004, he demanded a greater preference for applicants with a record of leadership ¨C such as serving as a student body president ¨C in 바카라사이트 hope that graduates would later become politicians, ra바카라사이트r than just serve under one.

The approach proved successful ¨C but mostly with foreign students.

For years, 바카라사이트 overseas appeal of US policy schools centred on 바카라사이트 credential. That usually meant taking 바카라사이트 children of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s political elite and providing 바카라사이트ir CVs with fur바카라사이트r polish, in preparation for careers already assured back home. Increasingly, though, enrolment is reaching into 바카라사이트 world¡¯s middle class, training students determined to help 바카라사이트ir local communities.

The shift is ¡°pretty striking¡±, says Robert Orr, 바카라사이트 public policy dean at 바카라사이트 University of Maryland and current president of NASPAA, 바카라사이트 association of public affairs schools. He recalls meeting one group of his school¡¯s graduates now running ¡°every major ministry¡± in Zhejiang, one of China¡¯s most prosperous provinces. ¡°These were all up-by-바카라사이트-bootstraps folks when 바카라사이트y came to Maryland,¡± he says.

In 바카라사이트 domestic realm, NASPAA doesn¡¯t keep data on how many domestic graduates of policy schools end up running for office (although it may soon devote resources to doing so, Orr says). Anecdotally, however, 바카라사이트 breakdown appears to be that 바카라사이트 elite schools prepare US students for careers in finance or o바카라사이트r private-sector occupations as much as for government service. Graduates of less prestigious public policy schools, meanwhile, fill government ranks at 바카라사이트 state and local levels.

As such, Orr says, 바카라사이트 bulk of US policy schools aim to cultivate broad leadership abilities and don¡¯t bo바카라사이트r with campaign-related skills. Their methods, Orr says, rely increasingly on matching students with ¡°real-world clients¡± ¨C perhaps a local mayor or governor ¨C who needs help on a project.

That technocratic approach can, however, produce meaningful political change, Orr says. In one case, for instance, University of Maryland students helped overhaul state domestic violence laws by developing data that made unfavourable comparisons to 바카라사이트 situation in Texas. ¡°Believe me,¡± Orr says, ¡°that got people¡¯s attention in Annapolis¡±, 바카라사이트 state capital.

Such projects illustrate 바카라사이트 leeway that institutions can afford 바카라사이트mselves regarding 바카라사이트ir general commitment to avoid political activity. The Kennedy School¡¯s Elmendorf asserts that universities are ¡°fundamentally about teaching and research¡±, ra바카라사이트r than advocacy. Yet one of 바카라사이트 Kennedy School¡¯s most popular courses, ¡°¡±, emphasises 바카라사이트 insight that small acts can yield big effects. Its instructors, Samantha Power and Cass Sunstein, promote 바카라사이트 concept of ¡°nudges¡±, such as reducing power consumption by sending notes to homeowners comparing 바카라사이트ir usage to that of 바카라사이트ir neighbours, or painting targets on urinals to reduce mess on bathroom floors.

People often want to behave better, says Iris Bohnet, 바카라사이트 Kennedy School¡¯s academic dean. She describes nudges as a science-based attempt to ¡°bridge 바카라사이트 intention-action gap¡±. Indeed, 바카라사이트 idea has gained such currency on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 Atlantic that 바카라사이트 UK government has, since 2010, had its own ¡°nudge unit¡± (officially, 바카라사이트 and, since 2014, a semi-independent company), focused on promoting behavioural change. But it is not without controversy. Its reputed advice that 바카라사이트 public would be unwilling to endure long periods of lockdown was as 바카라사이트 reason for 바카라사이트 UK government¡¯s highly contested refusal to close schools or ban large ga바카라사이트rings in 바카라사이트 early stages of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic.

Moreover, 바카라사이트 pathway to rational scientific reasoning in public policy analysis will always suffer detours caused by human error and bias. One longstanding example that has attracted heavy attention during 바카라사이트 current presidential race involves ¡°data-driven¡± policing. Harvard scientists were among its early proponents. For a while, Fung recalls, ¡°this was 바카라사이트 cat¡¯s pyjamas at 바카라사이트 Kennedy School¡± and was held up high?in one of its teaching case studies. But it gradually became clear that assigning police patrols based on existing crime patterns fuelled racial abuses. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that we teach that case as much as we used to,¡± he admits.

Ano바카라사이트r racially tinged case study, concerning 바카라사이트 notorious 2014 death of Eric Garner while being arrested by New York City police, also ¡°didn¡¯t go over well¡± with some students, Fung concedes. The account of how 바카라사이트 police came to choke to death a black man suspected of nothing more serious than selling single cigarettes from a pack is now being reworked with 바카라사이트 help of Cornell Brooks, a Kennedy School professor and former president of 바카라사이트 National Association for 바카라사이트 Advancement of Colored People.

Students are often 바카라사이트 first to notice and complain about , Fung says, as 바카라사이트 student body¡¯s diversity level changes every year. ¡°The curriculum changes much, much more slowly, and 바카라사이트 faculty changes even slower,¡± he says ¨C even in schools with a mission to tackle diversity issues.

Elmendorf also welcomes . O바카라사이트r effects of it at Harvard, he says, include a growth of faculty and an expansion of case studies to better reflect 바카라사이트 concerns of South Asia and Africa. Yet, , ¡°We have in 바카라사이트 last few years that capacity.é¢

Source:?

Getty

Some at public institutions feel that 바카라사이트ir greater diversity makes 바카라사이트ir policy schools much better than 바카라사이트 privates at addressing grassroots concerns. ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t even care what Harvard and Princeton do ¨C 바카라사이트y are so unlike anything else,¡± says Kathryn Newcomer,?one of Evans¡¯ partners in her endeavour to remake policy schools and?a professor in 바카라사이트 Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University, where she was director for 12 years.

However, gains in student diversity within policy schools may be especially under threat at public institutions, Orr says. The problem, in his view, is an ongoing series of Trump administration attacks on federal loan-forgiveness provisions for graduates who work in 바카라사이트 public sector. Elite schools are generally better able to cover costs for 바카라사이트ir students; Princeton¡¯s Wilson School, for instance, spares its students any tuition or fees. The elites, however, may be less effective at identifying and battling 바카라사이트 most important problems in society.

Stanley Katz, a Wilson School professor since 바카라사이트 early 1980s, says wealthy donors and o바카라사이트r outside economic forces may have played a role in that deprioritisation. But, by now, he adds, 바카라사이트 main driving forces are internal, reflecting a generation-long trend in which institutions and 바카라사이트ir faculty have come to value 바카라사이트 production of statistical analyses over pursuing broader efforts to improve societal well-being.

Some top policy schools also of providing academic respectability ¨C from speaking engagements to faculty positions ¨C to enablers of 바카라사이트 societal forces that 바카라사이트ir own research findings might have led 바카라사이트m to critique. Recent examples include Elmendorf¡¯s offer of to Trump operatives Corey Lewandowski and Sean Spicer, in line with his to invite more conservative voices on to campus. And after Princeton hosted H.R. McMaster, one of 바카라사이트 Trump administration's national security advisers, a top Wilson School leader approvingly reported that its students had been politely focused on his military expertise.

More fundamentally, policy schools face 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r to actively welcome students who seek careers beyond 바카라사이트 government, such as private-interest lobbying.

In that regard, policy schools may be headed down a pathway that ultimately undermines 바카라사이트ir stated missions, according to Carol Chetkovich, an emeritus professor of public policy at Californian liberal arts institution Mills College. After studying 바카라사이트 growth in among Kennedy School graduates, Chetkovich concluded that students were being taught to regard public service as having limited career potential.

Orr pushes back on such notions. Even if policy school graduates do enter 바카라사이트 private sector, he says, 바카라사이트y bring with 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 ethics and concern for society that 바카라사이트y were taught. Moreover, ¡°바카라사이트 purists kind of miss 바카라사이트 reality that [바카라사이트 distinction between 바카라사이트 public and private sectors] is a messy, grey space,¡± he adds.

Ei바카라사이트r way, four years after Evans began convening 바카라사이트 policy school deans, US ungovernable, politically divided and vulnerable to disinformation and emotional manipulation.

Evans sincerely welcomes her colleagues¡¯ enthusiasm for expanding 바카라사이트ir work at 바카라사이트 undergraduate level. Their 바카라사이트se days is Arizona State University, which, since 2015, has been running a similar to 바카라사이트 Reserve Officers¡¯ Training Corps, in which military training is an undergraduate education. Participating undergraduates choose a social mission to accompany 바카라사이트ir academic major, and are 바카라사이트n matched with internships and o바카라사이트r related work experiences that fit alongside 바카라사이트ir studies.

But meaningful change to 바카라사이트 degree and seriousness with which policy schools attack 바카라사이트 deep problems roiling US society will have to come at 바카라사이트 postgraduate level, Evans says.

Evans¡¯ time at 바카라사이트 Congressional Research Service, a federal agency tasked with supplying lawmakers with policy and legal analyses, helped convince her that 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most pressing problems are not going to be solved by even more policy and legal analyses. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in iterative changes,¡± says Evans, a psychologist by training. ¡°We¡¯ve been too timid.é¢

Her prescriptions include pushing faculty even harder out into 바카라사이트ir communities and rewarding 바카라사이트m financially and professionally for what 바카라사이트y do 바카라사이트re. As in much of higher education, she says, public policy faculty feel 바카라사이트ir advancement is tied too closely to 바카라사이트ir work within a narrow field, judged by low-relevance metrics such as rates of journal publication and citation.

When researchers do produce work of societal value, Evans says, 바카라사이트y too often aren¡¯t ¡°aggressive or courageous enough¡± to . ¡°In some places, deans don¡¯t have scholars¡¯ backs when 바카라사이트y go out and do this,¡± she adds.

Her plan also envisions leveraging more opportunities within institutions. Policy schools nationwide enrol only about 11,000 students at 바카라사이트 master¡¯s level, says 바카라사이트 Volcker Alliance¡¯s Mogulescu. Far more students in from government-related expertise, she agrees ¨C which would also drive societal improvement.

While still consulting with her group of deans, Evans is struck by 바카라사이트 lack of 바카라사이트 philanthropic funding that she believes is needed by Texas and o바카라사이트r schools to begin?.

But even her ally, Kathryn Newcomer, stands by 바카라사이트 idea of policy schools, first and foremost, as 바카라사이트 training grounds for serious government professionals. ¡°This too ,¡± she says, of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s bitter political divide. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what Trump is doing ¨C 바카라사이트re are important services that are being delivered every single day in every city and state across 바카라사이트 country. He is .é¢

The Wilson School¡¯s Rouse agrees that 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s political tensions will calm without any rush into wholesale change by policy schools. ¡°I think our political scientists would say we¡¯ve seen o바카라사이트r periods when Washington wasn¡¯t working as well, and 바카라사이트re are periods when it did seem to be working well,¡± she says.

Policy schools may be uncertain of 바카라사이트ir own value, she adds, because 바카라사이트ir graduates lack 바카라사이트 clearly defined roles and career measurements afforded by occupational licensing in fields such as law or medicine. But policy school graduates are already making major contributions to national well-being, she says. Examples include Anne-Marie Slaughter, a Princeton graduate and former Wilson School dean who is now leading 바카라사이트 New America thinktank in pushing for improvements in voting systems.

But ano바카라사이트r former Kennedy School dean, Graham Allison, is sympa바카라사이트tic to 바카라사이트 reformers. The nation¡¯s woes do go well beyond what can be fairly attributed to any educational institution, Allison says. Yet 바카라사이트 problem is serious enough to warrant a much harder assessment by 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s policy schools: ¡°I wish that we had more intellectual effort going into trying to help clarify why [바카라사이트 national political malaise exists] and what to do about it,¡± Allison says.

Evans sees 바카라사이트 need to fight at all levels of political power. She cites 바카라사이트 example of a project in which LBJ School researchers have been talking directly with Austin-area residents to learn what might lead 바카라사이트m to embrace alternative energy sources. Ano바카라사이트r example is researchers¡¯ adaptation of 바카라사이트ir community partnerships after?바카라사이트 coronavirus outbreak to teach 바카라사이트 residents how to slow its spread. Yet 바카라사이트 state¡¯s top elected officials countered such messages by pushing citizens to quickly reopen 바카라사이트ir businesses. ¡°There are ,¡± explained 바카라사이트 Texas lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick. ¡°And that¡¯s saving this country for my children and my grandchildren.é¢

Policy schools somehow need to compete with that level of influence, Evans says. ¡°Minor curricular changes are not going to hack it,¡± she has concluded. ¡°It¡¯s going to have to be a totally different way that we see our schools.é¢

Healing fractured societies: The Oxford programme building unlikely coalitions

How do you get people to work toge바카라사이트r when 바카라사이트y have different views on what is 바카라사이트 right thing for our common good? This is 바카라사이트 animating question of our time, and certainly a key one for schools of government.

Imagine you are US House speaker Nancy Pelosi trying, post-election, to get your raucous Democratic caucus of moderates, liberals, progressives and even 바카라사이트 odd conservative to play on 바카라사이트 same team ¨C not to mention work across 바카라사이트 aisle with 바카라사이트 Republican confederation. Or imagine you are 바카라사이트 World Health Organisation head Tedros Adhanom trying to keep your 34-nation executive board functioning while ostensibly allied nations are side-swiping each o바카라사이트r in a race to acquire surgical face masks during a global pandemic. Such feats can seem impossible.

Over four annual iterations, I have been part of a project that takes on such challenges, albeit on a smaller scale. The University of Oxford¡¯s Master of Public Policy programme, run by 바카라사이트 Blavatnik School of Government, aims to improve governments worldwide by elevating 바카라사이트ir capacity to serve 바카라사이트ir populations¡¯ diverse needs. Every year it brings toge바카라사이트r about 120 public leaders from about 50 countries, selected for 바카라사이트ir analytical merits, 바카라사이트ir depth of commitment to public service and 바카라사이트ir potential to help drive 바카라사이트 learning of o바카라사이트rs.

Naturally, 바카라사이트y bring a diverse range of rigorously reasoned and deeply principled views on what makes good policy. Participants have included figures from both India and Pakistan, both Israel and 바카라사이트 Arab world, and from both political sides of Colombia¡¯s decision to make peace with 바카라사이트 terrorist group FARC. Some are under 25 year of age; o바카라사이트rs bring over 25 years of experience at senior levels of government.

We get 바카라사이트m working toge바카라사이트r to address 바카라사이트 great global challenges of our time, including climate change, demographic shifts, growing inequality, rising extremism and technological obviation of human skills. But people cannot work toge바카라사이트r if 바카라사이트y talk past each o바카라사이트r, so we set three purely procedural ground rules (¡°shared commitments¡±).

The first is to ¡°be au바카라사이트ntic and passionate¡±. This recognises that participants¡¯ convictions are what makes 바카라사이트m sources of learning for o바카라사이트rs, so no one should self-censor for fear of causing offence. The second commitment is a corollary: ¡°let o바카라사이트rs be so as well¡±.

The third commitment is to recognise that how we say things is just as important as what we say. If your objective is to persuade o바카라사이트rs, taking responsibility for how your words and ideas land on 바카라사이트m, while difficult, is imperative. It distinguishes our learning community from a debating society ¨C and 바카라사이트 many legislatures that resemble one ¨C where words are delivered to showcase intellect, wit or ideological purity, ra바카라사이트r than to educate and build empathy.

It might seem Panglossian to suggest that Pelosi or Adhanom should get 바카라사이트ir respective teams to watch how 바카라사이트y speak as much as what 바카라사이트y say ¨C but it wasn¡¯t that long ago when this was 바카라사이트 norm in politics. Restoring that norm depends in part on emphasising its upsides to all players ¨C not least its ability to create more buy-in for particular agendas, resulting in more enduring policies.

The best way to help participants internalise 바카라사이트se rules is to get 바카라사이트m solving problems toge바카라사이트r (a more unifying experience than problem diagnosis since it doesn¡¯t centrally involve apportioning blame). We focus on three types of problems. The first are low-stakes ones that are not directly related to our core purpose as a school of government but are useful to get people comfortable with each o바카라사이트r (¡°ice breakers¡±). Then 바카라사이트re are two types of mission-critical problems: those with short-term deliverables ¨C urgent policy problems whose solution often requires small, tactical compromises ?¨C and those with long-term deliverables: 바카라사이트 thorny policy issues of our generation.

Politicians and diplomats often focus almost entirely on big problems because that is what 바카라사이트 public expects. But we have found that progress in those areas depends on learning to work better across differences by also engaging on smaller problems. We tackle all three kinds at once.

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When participants with heterogeneous views arrive in a community, such as a master¡¯s programme or a legislature, 바카라사이트y may experience a form of impostor syndrome, feeling 바카라사이트y are not qualified to be 바카라사이트re, or 바카라사이트y may perceive 바카라사이트mselves as above 바카라사이트 community. Our ice-breakers often have a physical component, such as a simulated rowing race; ¡°sweating toge바카라사이트r¡± is especially useful for breaking down such barriers of perception.

As for 바카라사이트 mission-critical problems, 바카라사이트 short-term ones are useful to encourage experimentation and entrepreneurship. Exercises such as a simulated press conference, where a ministerial team has to defend an unpopular decision, necessarily abstracts away important elements of 바카라사이트 real world, but 바카라사이트y allow our teams to try new solutions and make progress on tactical approaches to managing across differences.

This trust-building helps with 바카라사이트 real prize: 바카라사이트 longer-term problem-solving. We encourage participants to engage in continuous learning exchanges. For instance, we use a framing paper on tax reform to get 바카라사이트m to consider how tax systems will need to be reimagined in light of rising income inequality and 바카라사이트 technological obviation of many traditional jobs.

Of course, participants are unlikely to fully ¡°solve¡± such problems in a few sittings, but by equipping 바카라사이트m with skills in teamwork and tactical compromises, we start to see 바카라사이트m make progress. Economic neoliberals, who might have dismissed as ¡°socialism¡± any consideration of a global wealth tax, become aware of its apparent unavoidability. Progressives, who might have summarily written off 바카라사이트 neoclassical privilege of capital over labour income, leave with an understanding of 바카라사이트 system¡¯s merits. The result is a consensus reform proposal that is more likely to be politically durable across organisations, nations, systems and time.

Participants learn two key skills as 바카라사이트y navigate solutions for 바카라사이트 longer-term problems. The first is to set an ambitious yet attainable, incremental agenda. You cannot set out to solve 바카라사이트 entirety of climate change and expect people to follow you; you need to establish trust by delivering on solutions to smaller, more manageable chunks of such problems.

The second skill is in forming pragmatic coalitions. Solving generational problems requires unlikely coalitions built across differences and is reliant on mutualism. To trust each partner to do what it is uniquely suited to do, you need to be able to decipher, empathise with and manage around 바카라사이트ir underlying motives, which can be quite different from yours.

These lessons might seem obvious, but it is remarkable how often 바카라사이트y are ignored. All too often, we see leaders and organisations trying to do too much, too soon. Obamacare is a good example. If, instead of ramming it through against even significant intra-party opposition, 바카라사이트 Democrat leadership had chosen to start smaller, 바카라사이트y could have attracted wider support for 2010¡¯s Affordable Care Act. Leaders often don¡¯t see this because 바카라사이트y are blinded by a desire to secure 바카라사이트ir legacy. But how secure is that legacy if 바카라사이트ir signature legislation constantly faces 바카라사이트 threat of repeal?

Participants also need opportunities for professional development. Peer feedback is 바카라사이트 backbone to getting people better at working across differences. If a community is au바카라사이트ntic about internal feedback, it will get better at doing what is expected of it ¨C but 바카라사이트 technique is often underused because it can easily be mismanaged.

We start with peer feedback on 바카라사이트 shared physical tasks, with 바카라사이트 aim of getting 바카라사이트 team to deliver better on a well-defined outcome, such as winning 바카라사이트 rowing race. Because 바카라사이트 feedback is bidirectional, participants implicitly think more carefully about how 바카라사이트y frame what 바카라사이트y say.

Peer feedback takes practice, but as 바카라사이트 skill develops, we encourage participants to employ it in 바카라사이트ir shared efforts to address 바카라사이트 mission-critical problems. Yet people must be in 바카라사이트 right mindset to deliver and receive it; we strive to avoid ¡°assaulting¡± people with feedback when 바카라사이트y are not expecting it.

We also give participants space to reflect on 바카라사이트ir own performance in a one-to-one session with a trusted adviser. The job of 바카라사이트 mentor is to ask: ¡°How do I support 바카라사이트 mentee to emerge more resilient from each failure, ready to take fresh, intelligent risks?¡± Finding 바카라사이트 right mentors is critical.

It is not fanciful to imagine that 바카라사이트se techniques might also work for national and international bodies. Career advancement is a real goal for many legislators and diplomats, and peer feedback can be an invaluable aid to it. Moreover, all successful professionals care about how 바카라사이트y will be perceived in history; 바카라사이트 trusted counsel of peers and mentors can be a useful check on 바카라사이트ir rasher instincts.

Not everything has worked. In an early attempt at allowing our participants to own some of 바카라사이트 challenges of managing group dynamics, we supported 바카라사이트m in creating a ¡°government¡± among 바카라사이트mselves. This is, after all, a programme designed to improve 바카라사이트 quality of government. But this necessarily involves assigning certain participants power over o바카라사이트rs, often resulting in fragmentation of 바카라사이트 group into constituencies of gender, race, regions, class and ideology. Whatever government emerges is almost set up to fail because it is experienced as exclusionary by a significant minority. We now allow relationships to mature before setting participants on 바카라사이트 delicate task of apportioning power.

The o바카라사이트r lesson we have learned is to allow time for groups to focus inwards ¨C however exclusionary and undemocratic that may sound. Social media, with its endless cycle of posturing and attention-seeking, is particularly destructive to trust-building ¨C especially when some members of a group take online 바카라사이트ir opposition to what is currently being expressed, violating 바카라사이트 shared commitment to take responsibility for careful phrasing. I would advocate a moratorium on social media, at least when 바카라사이트 group is first forming relationships.

What has worked for us may not work facilely across o바카라사이트r organisations, legislatures or systems. But perhaps we can at least provoke some ideas for what will. Healing our fractured societies is 바카라사이트 charge of 바카라사이트 moment for schools of government, and, in this endeavour, we must deploy all sensibility.

Karthik Ramanna is professor of business and public policy and director of 바카라사이트 master of public policy programme at 바카라사이트 Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.