Hacker News with Generative AI: Public Policy

Do we need publicly-owned social networks to escape Silicon Valley? (elpais.com)
Social media is going through perhaps its worst period, in terms of its public image — and this is a phrase we’ve been able to say on any given day since at least 2016.
Social Media, Technology, Silicon Valley, Public Policy
17 points by belter 33 days ago | 15 comments
Traffic Fatalities Are a Choice (asteriskmag.com)
America’s roads are more dangerous than those of almost every country in the developed world. We know how to change that.
Traffic Safety, Public Policy, Transportation, United States
129 points by mitchbob 46 days ago | 187 comments
The FCC Must Reject Efforts to Lock Up Public Airwaves (eff.org)
President Trump’s attack on public broadcasting has attracted plenty of deserved attention, but there’s a far more technical, far more insidious policy change in the offing—one that will take away Americans’ right to unencumbered access to our publicly owned airwaves.
Politics, Public Policy, Telecommunications, Media
11 points by hn_acker 49 days ago | 0 comments
The Miscalculations of Covid School Closures (newyorker.com)
Millions of American children were denied regular in-person instruction for more than a year after the virus emerged. What did we get right—and wrong?
Education, COVID-19, Public Policy, Social Impact
13 points by pseudolus 57 days ago | 19 comments
Let's Ban Billboards (iambateman.com)
Most improvements to cities are hard — they take millions of dollars and years of planning.
Urban Planning, Advertising, Public Policy
359 points by iambateman 82 days ago | 296 comments
Who Pays the Tariff – How Voter Ignorance Impacts Public Policy (outlookzen.com)
Who pays the tariff?
Politics, Economics, Public Policy, Voter Behavior
5 points by whack 84 days ago | 0 comments
Paris Votes for 500 More Car Free Streets (theenergymix.com)
As Paris votes to make another 500 streets car-free, the first residents are moving into a newly-built town outside Cambridge, UK, where the bicycle, not the car, is king.
Paris, Urban Planning, Transportation, Sustainability, Public Policy
22 points by Sontho 86 days ago | 7 comments
Calibrated Basic Income by Derek Van Gorder [pdf] (greshm.org)
Economics, Social Programs, Research, Public Policy
56 points by Suncho 86 days ago | 73 comments
An honest look at how weather balloon launch cuts should impact forecasting (theeyewall.com)
As we navigate the world right now, we have an obligation to keep our readers informed on the news of the day as it relates to weather forecasting. After all, if you are using this site and others for weather forecast information, you have an interest. But there’s a lot of news out there, and a lot of opinions masquerading as news. No matter your political leanings, the “zone” as it were is flooded and trying to piece together facts vs.
Weather Forecasting, Meteorology, Politics, Public Policy
7 points by lantry 93 days ago | 0 comments
How much foreign aid is spent domestically rather than overseas? (ourworldindata.org)
In many countries, a substantial share of aid is spent domestically on hosting refugees, offering student scholarships, and administrative costs.
Foreign Aid, Development Aid, Domestic Spending, Public Policy, International Relations
6 points by therabbithole 95 days ago | 0 comments
Rules to improve air quality are under attack (heatpumped.org)
Rules to improve air quality and accelerate building electrification are under attack, and you can help defend them.
Environmental Policy, Climate Change, Public Policy, Advocacy
104 points by ssuds 113 days ago | 49 comments
Local social spending and political dissatisfaction of the economically deprived (frontiersin.org)
Previous research demonstrates that local conditions are highly visible and proximate for citizens and thus have a distinct impact on political attitude formation. However, we still lack knowledge of the interplay of the local and the individual level. In this study, we examine how a specific group (economically deprived individuals) responds to local social spending in the formation of political dissatisfaction.
Political Science, Social Policy, Economics, Public Policy
47 points by PaulHoule 120 days ago | 46 comments
How an obscure advisory board lets utilities steal $50B/year from ratepayers (pluralistic.net)
How an obscure advisory board lets utilities steal $50b/year from ratepayers: The Society of Utility and Regulatory Financial Analysts is a hell of a henhouse fox.
Utilities, Finance, Corruption, Regulation, Public Policy
7 points by hn_acker 123 days ago | 1 comments
Musk Team Cuts Education Department Arm That Tracks National School Performance (propublica.org)
The Trump administration has terminated more than $900 million in Education Department contracts, taking away a key source of data on the quality and performance of the nation’s schools.
Education, Politics, Data, Government, Public Policy
11 points by hn_acker 136 days ago | 4 comments
Fire the Contractors: Paradoxically adding government employees reduces costs (washingtonmonthly.com)
Voters are right to want a less bloated and wasteful government. But Elon Musk’s plan will fail because the most inefficient parts lie outside it.
Government, Economics, Politics, Efficiency, Public Policy
45 points by pdfernhout 140 days ago | 37 comments
Subway crime plummets as ridership jumps significantly in congestion pricing era (amny.com)
NYC subway crime has dropped significantly so far this year even as ridership increased in the congestion pricing era, according to the newest NYPD data released on Tuesday.
NYC, Crime, Transportation, Public Policy
156 points by ceejayoz 142 days ago | 207 comments
The Movement to Redirect Billions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private Schools (propublica.org)
Private letters reveal the strategy behind the decadeslong quest — successful in 12 states and counting — by politicians, church officials and activists to make taxpayer-funded school vouchers available not just to the poor but to the wealthy.
Education, Politics, Public Policy, Funding
33 points by rbanffy 165 days ago | 60 comments
'Mainlined into UK's veins': Labour announces public rollout of AI (theguardian.com)
Artificial intelligence will be “mainlined into the veins” of the nation, ministers have announced, with a multibillion-pound investment in the UK’s computing capacity despite widespread public fear about the technology’s effects.
Artificial Intelligence, Government, UK, Public Policy, Technology
20 points by chrisjj 166 days ago | 29 comments
Open letter to Mark Zuckerberg from the fact-checkers, nine years later (poynter.org)
As Meta announces end to U.S. fact-checking, program partners warn of a setback for accuracy online and potential global consequences
Social Media, Fact-Checking, Journalism, Meta, Public Policy
9 points by bjourne 168 days ago | 0 comments
Finland's zero homeless strategy (2021) (oecdecoscope.blog)
Following a period when homelessness rose in many countries, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted governments across the OECD area to provide unprecedented public support – including to the homeless.
Homelessness, Finland, Public Policy, COVID-19
288 points by zdw 168 days ago | 629 comments
English-friendly Romanization system proposed for Japanese language (asahi.com)
The Agency for Cultural Affairs is soliciting public comments about its plans to change romanization rules of the Japanese language for the first time in about 70 years.
Language, Japan, Linguistics, Public Policy
19 points by anigbrowl 173 days ago | 23 comments
UK bans daytime TV ads for cereals, muffins and burgers (france24.com)
The UK government is banning daytime TV adverts for sugary foods like granola and muffins in its battle against child obesity, branding such popular items as junk food.
Health, Food, Public Policy, Advertising
295 points by ivewonyoung 201 days ago | 337 comments
Taxpayers spend 22% more per patient to support Medicare Advantage (theconversation.com)
Medicare Advantage – the commercial alternative to traditional Medicare – is drawing down federal health care funds, costing taxpayers an extra 22% per enrollee to the tune of US$83 billion a year.
Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Government Spending, Public Policy
95 points by paulpauper 201 days ago | 106 comments
Launch HN: Parsagon (YC W21) – AI for public affairs and government relations (ycombinator.com)
Hi HN! I’m Sandy, and I’m excited to introduce Parsagon. Parsagon is using AI to automate workflows for government affairs professionals, starting with an AI search for public policy. Here's a demo: https://parsagon.io/explore-search
AI, Government, Public Policy, Startups, YC
73 points by sand1929 205 days ago | 53 comments
Save Standard Time (savestandardtime.com)
Permanent Standard Time is best for health, safety, sports, education, productivity, wages, en­vi­ron­ment, and civil liberties. Save Standard Time is a nonprofit, non­par­ti­san, donor-funded, volunteer-supported effort to preserve and extend the observation of longitudinally correct Standard Time.
Time Zones, Public Policy, Nonprofits, Health
5 points by baxtr 205 days ago | 3 comments
What to Do About Conspiracy Theories? (taylorfrancis.com)
Increasingly social activists, journalists and policy makers have expressed concern over the proliferation of conspiracy theories in the public space.
Conspiracy Theories, Journalism, Social Activism, Public Policy
13 points by tokai 205 days ago | 9 comments
US House Select Subcommittee 2-Year Review of Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned (house.gov)
The single most thorough review of the pandemic conducted to date
Covid-19, Government, Health, Public Policy, Pandemic
5 points by walterbell 206 days ago | 0 comments
How Every Computer Is a Chinese Computer (cigionline.org)
You're listening to Policy Prompt. I'm Vass Bednar, and I'm joined by my co-host, Paul Sampson. He's the president of the Center for International Governance Innovation. Policy Prompt features long-form interviews where we go in-depth to find nuances in the conversation with leading global scholars, writers, policymakers, business leaders, and technologists who are all working at the intersection of technology, society, and public policy. Listen now wherever you find your podcasts.
Technology, China, International Relations, Public Policy, Podcast
10 points by catobear 215 days ago | 0 comments
3 Years After Allocating $5B for EV Chargers, 17 Stations Completed (nationalreview.com)
Electric Vehicles, Infrastructure, Government Spending, Public Policy
24 points by fortran77 248 days ago | 11 comments
Mozilla becoming active in online advertising (mozilla.org)
As Mark shared in his blog, Mozilla is going to be more active in digital advertising. Our hypothesis is that we need to simultaneously work on public policy, standards, products and infrastructure.
Mozilla, Online Advertising, Digital Advertising, Public Policy, Standards
35 points by brentjanderson 266 days ago | 55 comments