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Doing Democracy: Jennifer Pahlka on How to 'Recode America'
Nov 2, 2023
Jennifer Pahlka, a technology expert, discusses the failures of government technology, focusing on examples like healthcare.gov and unemployment benefits during the pandemic. She highlights the need for better utilization of technology in government, the challenges of implementation, and the importance of joining organizations like US Digital Service and Code for America. The podcast also covers the difficulties faced in integrating technology into government processes, comparing it with the private sector and acknowledging listener feedback on government inefficiencies.
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Quick takeaways
- Government technology systems are often developed to meet the needs of bureaucrats instead of the public, leading to inefficiencies and failures in service delivery.
- The inadequate government response to the pandemic, particularly in processing unemployment insurance claims, highlighted the outdated technology, policy layers, and distribution inefficiencies that hindered system performance.
Deep dives
The Challenges of Implementing Policies in the Digital Age
The podcast episode delves into the challenges of implementing policies in the digital age and how it impacts trust in democracy. It highlights the importance of government capacity to serve the people effectively and the failure of technology solutions in government. The episode features Jennifer Palka, the author of 'Recoding America', who provides insights into the problems faced by governments over the past 15 years, such as the initial flop of healthcare.gov and unemployment insurance claim processing during the pandemic. The discussion also emphasizes the impact of service delivery on people's faith in democracy and the potential consequences of a poorly functioning government technology.
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Discover
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