Power to the Public - The Promise of Public Interest Technology

"Worth a read for anyone who cares about making change happen."-Barack Obama

A powerful new blueprint for how governments and nonprofits can harness the power of digital technology to help solve the most serious problems of the twenty-first century

As the speed and complexity of the world increases, governments and nonprofit organizations need new ways to effectively tackle the critical challenges of our time-from pandemics and global warming to social media warfare. In Power to the Public, Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank describe a revolutionary new approach-public interest technology-that has the potential to transform the way governments and nonprofits around the world solve problems. Through inspiring stories about successful projects ranging from a texting service for teenagers in crisis to a streamlined foster care system, the authors show how public interest technology can make the delivery of services to the public more effective and efficient.

At its heart, public interest technology means putting users at the center of the policymaking process, using data and metrics in a smart way, and running small experiments and pilot programs before scaling up. And while this approach may well involve the innovative use of digital technology, technology alone is no panacea-and some of the best solutions may even be decidedly low-tech.

Clear-eyed yet profoundly optimistic, Power to the Public presents a powerful blueprint for how government and nonprofits can help solve society's most serious problems.

About the author

Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank
With an afterword by Anne-Marie Slaughter and Darren Walker

Product details

• Authors: Tara Dawson McGuinness, Tara Dawson Schank Mcguinness, Hana Schank, Schank Hana
• Assisted by: Anne-Marie Slaughter (Afterword), Slaughter Anne-Marie (Afterword), Darren Walker (Afterword), Walker Darren (Afterword)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 18.04.2023
• EAN: 9780691216645
• ISBN: 978-0-691-21664-5
• No. of pages: 208
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / General, LAW / Science & Technology, Impact of science & technology on society, Impact of science and technology on society, Laws Of Specific Jurisdictions, Central government policies, Civil service and public sector, Civil Service & Public Sector