Myths about opportunity

Americans have always believed that their country is unique in providing the opportunity to get ahead. Just combine hard work with a bit of talent and you'll climb the ladder—or so we've told ourselves for generations. But rising unemployment and financial turmoil are puncturing that self-image.

Isabel V. Sawhill and Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution and authors of Creating an Opportunity Society have come up with five myths about "our land of opportunity."

For starters, contrary to the belief that "Americans enjoy more economic opportunity than people in other countries," children born into a lower-income family in the Nordic countries and in the United Kingdom have a greater chance of forming a higher-income family as adults. Sawhill and Haskins counter the belief that poverty and inequality in the U.S. are driven by immigrant workers and offshoring of jobs with statistics on "a dramatic change in American family life"--the rise of children in single-parent families whose poverty rates are five time as high as two-parent households. The authors also discuss myths concerning generational upward mobility, public assistance, and cutting waste and abuse in the federal budget.

Five Myths About Our Land of Opportunity, Nov. 1, 2009

Fourth sector

The Aspen Institute Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation (PSI) published a report on the Fourth Sector, "a new sector of organizations at the intersection of the public, private, and social sectors." These are organizations that integrate social missions with business practices, creating a new class of "for-benefit" organizations. The thesis of author Heerad Sabeti is that:

...a new class of organizations with the potential for generating immense economic, social, and environmental benefits is emerging--and this sector can be consciously developed and expanded through broad recognition and engagement.

He suggests a new supportive ecosystem for the Fourth Sector, including new kinds of financial markets, legal structures and regulation, tax policy, and assessment and reporting standards.

The Emerging Fourth Sector, Executive Summary (pdf, 15pp/804kB), Sept. 2009
    (Only the executive summary is currently available as a free download)

Clouds in my way

Issues in Science and Technology, a National Academy of Sciences publication, is "a forum for discussion of public policy related to science, engineering, and medicine." The Summer 2009 issue currently features an article on personal computing in the Cloud.

The Internet is entering a new phase that represents a fundamental shift in how computing is done. This phase, called Cloud computing, includes activities such as Web 2.0, Web services, the Grid, and Software as a Service, which are enabling users to tap data and software residing on the Internet rather than on a personal computer or a local server.

According to the author, Michael R. Nelson, the Cloud offers users:

• Limitless flexibility
• Better reliability and security
• Enhanced collaboration
• Portability
• Simpler devices

Mr. Nelson discusses the importance public policy decisions will have on the Cloud's development and character, and the "key policy factors" influencing its pace of progress, which include:

• Research
• Privacy and security
• Access to the Cloud
• E-government and open standards
• Competition and antitrust
• Wiretapping and electronic surveillance
• Intellectual property and liability
• Consumer protection

The Cloud, the Crowd, and Public Policy, by Michael R. Nelson
(Issues in Science and Technology, Summer 2009, html)