Published Articles

Hear Us Now? A California Survey of Digital Technology's Role in Civic Engagement and Local Government

Submitted by Troy K. Schneider on 23 October 2011 - 1:30pm

Policy Paper, New America Foundation

Hidden in all the bad news about California’s troubles is this delightful paradox: Californians, while living in a state that experts say is ungovernable, have within their reach new tools that give them greater power to govern themselves than ever before.

Technology is the reason. Often with little public notice or scrutiny, most of California’s 5,000-some local governments are experimenting with technologies to engage the public and improve services. The sophistication of this use of digital technologies for citizen interaction — referred to as eGovernment, digital government, or Government 2.0 — varies. The benefits are wide-ranging.

You can go on-line to have the city police in Santa Clarita check on your home while you’re on vacation. In Pebble Beach, you can add yourself to the Community Services District’s database of local people that need special assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation. You can schedule a visit to your cousin in jail via the Santa Clara County web site or public kiosks. If you need to appear in court or qualify yourself for social services in Nevada County, you can avoid long drives over windy, snowy roads by finding one of the 60 county video cameras set up for direct conferencing with local government. And if you’re a truant in Anaheim, you can avoid school reassignment or prosecution by carrying a hand-held tracking device, provided by your school district and the city police, that monitors your location throughout the day.

The World According to Hamilton

Submitted by Troy K. Schneider on 18 February 2008 - 11:29pm

Profile, Indiana Alumni Magazine

This profile of former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., is available below as a PDF.

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A Brief Window for Bipartisanship

Submitted by Troy K. Schneider on 3 November 2006 - 10:47pm

Op-Ed, WashingtonPost.com

With less than a week to go until the 2006 elections, the campaign trail is as muddy as ever. Conservatives claim a Democrat-controlled Congress would cut and run in Iraq, raise taxes at home, and engage in partisan payback across the board. Liberals warn of Rove-ian schemes and election-day dirty tricks. And campaign ads from both sides have alleged everything from racism and corruption to womanizing and smutty writing. Yet when the votes have been counted, and a new Congress convenes in January, there's the very real chance that Washington might actually accomplish something.

Can't Win for Losing

Submitted by Troy K. Schneider on 16 July 2006 - 10:50pm

Op-Ed, The New York Times

Washington -- In 2000, in the wake of the disputed presidential election, a Republican tchotchke-maker printed parodies of the Democrats’ bumper sticker, replacing “Gore-Lieberman” with “Sore-Loserman.” And while Al Gore has generally been a good sport in the years since -- his standard line is “Hello, I used to be the next president of the United States” -- Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut may soon prove there was some truth in that label.