by Raphael Bostic I am continually struck by how little governance issues are discussed as governance issues. Sure, the scandal or problem of the moment is given lots of attention, but the focus never seems to make it to how good governance is achieved and how we can effectively apply the knowledge developed over decades of research and practice to current problems. Elevating the issue of good governance is what is behind a new Bedrosian Center Read more…
by Raphael Bostic January 10, 2014 First published on Forbes.com 1/10/2014 This week marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s announcement of the war on poverty. The anniversary has sparked many retrospectives this week about the policies and programs that emerged from it, as well as a debate about its effectiveness. The New York Times, for example, hosted an online forum with national experts offering their takes on the War’s legacy and future prospects. Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback It’s been a busy year at the Bedrosian Center. From presenting cutting-edge research to hosting events with a vaunted line-up of local, state, and national leaders, the Bedrosian Center continued conversations around governance and policy implementation for a changing world. With a goal to promote effective governance, the Bedrosian Center seeks opportunities to foster public dialogue in public, private, and nonprofit sectors on governance, institutional reform, and the implementation of policy. This year Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback In the wake of the first anniversary of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and another gun tragedy in Colorado, the nation continues to debate ways to reduce gun violence. Many states, including Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Delaware, have passed new laws requiring background checks for all gun purchases and prohibitions on certain types of guns despite vocal opposition from National Rifle Association and others. However, implementing these Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback The judge in Detroit’s bankruptcy case is already having a big impact on how other cities on the brink of bankruptcy deal with employee public pensions. According to a ruling by Judge Steven Rhodes last week, Detroit’s public pensions will not protected by state laws during bankruptcy proceedings, a decision that has left many of the city’s current and former employees worried about their retirement plans. Battered by rising costs of pensions, including the Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback As the world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela, it’s difficult to sum up the impact of his legacy. As a revolutionary activist, he gave hope and courage to millions of people in South Africa and later became an international symbol of reconciliation. While it’s easy to remember him in iconic terms, as the transcendent leader who brought the reviled apartheid system to its knees, Mandela also left us with an impressive record Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback The onset of climate change is expected to have a powerful impact on California, from effects on growing seasons in agricultural areas to more frequent forest fires. But one crucial area has been overlooked until recently: governance. As California’s abundant coastline deals with rising sea levels and other consequences of global warming, how California cities plan for change and govern effectively in the face of new community standards will be one of this Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback In his first year on the job, Hermosa Beach City Manager Tom Bakaly has had to do a lot more than just sign the checks. Since coming to the beachfront community in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, Bakaly has had to contend with pressing economic development questions, governance challenges, and identity issues that will have a profound impact on the future direction of the city. In 2014, the city of about Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback Even as Congresswoman Karen Bass has ascended to the highest levels of government, she hasn’t forgotten her roots in community organizing South Los Angeles. Though she now roams of the halls of Capitol Building in Washington D.C., her experience building coalitions, using grass-roots tactics, and forging collaborations has helped her create change on a much bigger stage. At the Bedrosian Center’s recent Coffee with a Leader, Bass shared some of her insight as Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback Aja Brown is on a mission. Since her election as mayor of Compton this past June, the 31-year-old has been on a one-woman crusade to change minds about the city of Compton. You may have seen her in the pages of Vogue or in the UK-based Guardian, describing Compton’s potential to become “a new Brooklyn,” but maybe even more important is the way she’s been able to shift attitudes among residents within the city Read more…
Raphael Bostic, Director of the Bedrosian Center on Governance and Bedrosian Chair in Governance at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, has been selected as a fellow-elect of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). “It’s a tremendous personal honor,” said Bostic “to be recognized and accepted into this prestigious group. It is an affirmation of my belief that working at the intersection of research and practice can provide rich value for both Read more…
Conversations about governance, policy, and leadership November 13, 2013 12:00pm to 1:30pm University Park Campus Lunch with a Leader provides students with the opportunity to hear ideas from local, state, and national leaders as well as share their ideas and gain inspiration for effective governance in an enjoyable, informal setting. Tom Bakaly, former City Manager at Park City Municipal Corporation in Utah, is currently the City Manager of Hermosa Beach, CA. The position is appointed Read more…
Our Faculty ask “Can data build a better L.A.?” Chris Weare and Juliet Musso shared their thoughts in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece in October: Mayor Eric Garcetti’s plan for improving city departments’ performance won’t mean much without analysis and a way to actually make changes … Link to the Los Angeles Times article And a bit earlier this year, we welcomed Nate Silver to discuss the importance of data in communicating information: “We want Read more…
The Academic Culture Assembly, Political Student Assembly, Black Student Assembly and USC Spectrum present An Evening with Lee Daniels discussing this year’s hit movie, The Butler Wednesday, November 20th 11/20/2013 | 7:00 PM Lee Daniels’ background is filled with bold stories as real and gritty as the narratives from the films he creates. By the age of 21, Daniels founded and ran his own health care agency, providing nurses to private homes and hospitals; Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback In recent weeks, the Bedrosian Center has hosted an impressive slate of state and national leaders, and on Wednesday, November 13, the conversation about effective governance shifts to the local level. Tom Bakaly, the newly appointed city manager for Hermosa Beach, returns to USC as part of the Bedrosian Center’s Lunch with a Leader series. A graduate of USC’s master of public administration program, Bakaly will discuss the challenges implementing policy on a city-wide scale Read more…
Professor Yan Tang, Research Director of the Center, has recently published a co-authored book with Carlos Wing-Hung Lo, Institutions, Regulatory Styles, Society and Environmental Governance in China (London and New York: Routledge, 2014). Drawing on the authors’ extensive research in southern China, the book provides an in-depth analysis on China’s environmental governance and regulatory enforcement in the past two decades. It examines how various political and institutional constraints have affected the enforcement of environmental regulations Read more…
Bedrosian Center Research Presentations Hilda Blanco The Bedrosian Center funds several grants for USC Price faculty research on governance issues. Preference for the awards is given to research focused on collaborative governance, relationships between governance and planning, and government accountability issues. As a condition of the grant, each principal investigator was asked to give a presentation of his or her findings. Today Hilda Blanco will present the findings from her project: California faces significant coastal Read more…
View the transcript here. The Bedrosian Center’s Lunch with a Leader series provides students with the opportunity to hear ideas from local, state, and national leaders as well as share their ideas and gain inspiration for effective governance in an enjoyable, informal setting. Karen Bass was re-elected to her second term representing the newly drawn 37th Congressional District in November 2012. In Congress she has been an outspoken advocate for balanced fiscal policies that preserve Read more…
by Caroline Stevens Last Wednesday night the Bedrosian Center had the privilege of hosting Legislative Representative and California’s Assembly Speaker, John Pérez. I regret to admit that being a native San Diegan and only having lived in Los Angeles for the past year, I had only scraped the Wikipedia surface of Pérez’s accomplishments in California but walking away from this discussion I was floored by the vigor, tenacity and raw passion for legislating the Pérez brought to Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback As the daughter of a letter carrier growing up in Los Angeles’s Fairfax district, Karen Bass remembers watching the momentous Civil Rights movement with her father. Little did she know that she would make some of her own history later in life. In 2008, she was selected as the first African-American woman to serve as speaker of the California Assembly, building on a strong record of community activism and involvement. Prior to becoming Read more…
by Caroline Stevens A New Office, A New Research Outlook – My Summer at PPIC As I looked at the impressive silver lettering adorning the lobby entrance to The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), I had to check my Google maps on my phone to see if I was actually in the right office. I calmly convinced myself that this couldn’t possibly be where the interns work. There had to be a catch here, or Read more…
Price Research Center Collaborative October 30, 2013 12:00pm to 1:30pm Is there a post car-ownership future? This Price Research Center Collaboratives brings together the Bedrosian Center on Governance and the METRANS Transportation Center to discuss the future of transportation. We will address the prevalence and growth of private sector alternatives like Megabus, Uber, and Lyft among other things. Panelists: Genevieve Giuliano, Director of METRANS Raphael Bostic, Director of Bedrosian Center on Governance Maged Dessouky, USC Read more…
(originally posted in The John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation 2011 and 2012 Report) Water shortages are an unfortunate reality in Southern California, a desert region characterized by an arid climate, flash floods, and cyclical droughts. Beginning with the 1913 arrival of aqueduct water, the Los Angeles area has relied on water imports for a significant portion of its supply. Among the key sources of imported water are the State Water Project and the Colorado Read more…
Originally posted on the USC Press Room Website, October 25, 2014 Contact: Megan Goulding at [email protected]; USC Media Relations at (213) 740-2215 or [email protected] October 25, 2013 The USC Price School of Public Policy has appointed Antonio R. Villaraigosa, 41st Mayor of Los Angeles, as a professor of the practice of policy. Villaraigosa, whose appointment became effective on Monday, will work on innovative, large-scale approaches to the significant policy issues facing California. Jack H. Knott, Read more…
by Jeremy Loudenback During his campaign for mayor, Eric Garcetti positioned himself as the young, technology-savvy alternative to other candidates. During the first few months of his administration, he’s already broken new ground with a plan to use the Internet to deliver data about the performance of city departments and services, and he’s also voiced support for innovative app-driven companies like Lyft, Uber, and Sidecar that connect passengers to drivers interested in ride-sharing via smartphones. Much like other Read more…