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Author Archives: Patrick Lester
Gates-funded Education Data Warehouse, inBloom, to Close
On April 21, inBloom, a nonprofit education data warehouse launched with the financial backing of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, announced that it would close. The announcement came after a number of its state-level clients, swamped with protests over … Continue reading
Social Innovation Fund Announces $65.8 Million in New Grants, Evaluation Plans
On February 23, the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) announced its first new grant competition in two years. The program will be offering $65.8 million in grants this year. According to the announcement, in addition to its core focus areas of … Continue reading
Posted in Social Innovation Fund
That’s Just Wrong: Celebrity Gossip, Fad Diets, and Evidence-based Practices
In my last column (Ducks, Data, and Evidence-based Politics), I wrote about how central evidence of results will be for nonprofits that want to survive the new era of permanently tight budgets. Much of this evidence, of course, comes from … Continue reading
Posted in Evidence
View From the Inside: The Promise Neighborhoods Peer Review Process
Is it better to be lucky or good? If you were a Promise Neighborhoods applicant, it may have helped to be both. From October 12 to 18, we interviewed 10 of the 102 peer reviewers who scored Promise Neighborhoods applications. … Continue reading
Posted in Collective Impact
Book Review: The Power of Being Right
“Facts are stubborn things.” It’s a quote variably attributed to Mark Twain, John Adams, and the French novelist Alain-Rene Lesage (if Wikipedia serves me). Whatever its origins, it is an apt phrase to describe the theme of Henry Waxman’s new … Continue reading
Book Review: So … Lobbying Groups Don’t Have Much Influence?
Robert Kaiser’s new book, So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government, attempts to make the not-so-surprising argument that money and lobbyists dominate Washington, and that we are worse off as a nation because of … Continue reading
Political Influence: The Importance of Social and Political Capital
Political influence in Washington depends substantially on social and political capital — i.e., reputations and relationships. Forms of social and political capital include preexisting relationships, reputations, trust, shared values, past alliances, and favors owed. Developing this capital takes effort and … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Political Influence: The Importance of Staff
Political influence in Washington greatly depends on access and influence with key congressional and executive branch staff. This reality was well-described in the following excerpts from the 1988 classic, The Power Game, by Hedrick Smith. The Importance of Congressional Staff … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Political Influence: The Importance of Issue Expertise
Influence in Washington is primarily about “what you know” and “who you know.” The “what you know” piece of this equation is about substantive, issue-based expertise. Public policy issues are often complex. What is the problem being addressed? What are … Continue reading