Revolution
Could AI make bureaucracy more efficient? Should we de-personalize it?
Revolutionising Governance with AI: A Step Towards an Agile Bureaucracy
Every time I hear someone use the word Agile in the context of technology, I think instinctively of the movie, Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think that it means what you think it means.”
‘Union Minister Jitendra Singh emphasized the critical role of Artificial Intelligence in transforming government efficiency and decision-making at a session for PMO staff. Part of Mission Karmayogi, the session aimed at empowering officials with AI knowledge while ensuring data security. Challenges and potential benefits across sectors like healthcare and infrastructure were discussed.’
Carbon removal industry calls on U.S. government for regulation in new industry report
The problem here is standards. Given the infancy of the industry, finding a credible standard without a third-party trusted umpire like the government is impossible. It becomes a “marketing arms race” in which everyone is focused on convincing the public that they are measuring carbon capture correctly and uniquely.
Interesting arguments here about moral hazard: capturing carbon just makes it easier to justify industries that emit a lot of it. Okay.
Or there is the argument that it is currently too expensive, as if it won’t come down the cost curve with learning efficiencies. You could have said that about solar easily fifteen years ago. Or wind.
Finally, there is the argument that carbon capture is bad because the industry uses clean energy that could have been used to displace fossil fuels elsewhere.
I get it. It’s not the favorite of the green lobby.
‘The unregulated carbon dioxide removal industry is calling on the U.S. government to implement standards and regulations to boost transparency and confidence in the sector that's been flooded with billions of dollars in federal funding and private investment.
‘A report Wednesday by the Carbon Removal Alliance, a nonprofit representing the industry, outlined recommendations to improve monitoring, reporting, and verification. Currently the only regulations in the U.S. are related to safety of these projects. Some of the biggest industry players, including Heirloom and Climeworks, are alliance members.’
Regulation is slowing deal environment, Nasdaq CEO says
Another high profile Wall Street executive says that antitrust (at least in the current administration) “can” have a chilling effect on the innovation ecosystem.
One wonders at the modern regulator. They seem to have a childlike partial-equilibrium mindset.
It goes something like this. Innovation has always happened. Regulation will have no impact on innovation. Because, see my earlier comments, it has always happened. There are no such things as second-order effects or third-order effects. Because, you know.
‘"If you're not careful, the antitrust process can have a huge chilling effect on the entire innovation ecosystem," Friedman tells Hope King at Axios' BFD event in New York.
"The atypical approach that we're seeing within the FTC could have a ripple-down effect" on investors being willing to underwrite risk, she says, noting this dynamic tamps valuations and makes it more difficult for young companies to fundraise.’
Milei Shuts Down Argentina's Tax Agency
Stark administrative reform continues apace in Argentina as Milei shuts down the politicized tax agency, replacing it with a new organization.
‘Argentine President Javier Milei announced plans to shut down the country's tax collection agency, a bold step in his ongoing effort to slash government spending and bureaucracy.
‘On Monday, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni confirmed that the Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos (AFIP), Argentina's tax bureau, will "cease to exist." It will be replaced by a newly formed agency, the Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA), which will assume some of its functions.
‘"Throughout its existence, this agency has functioned as a political cash box and, as we all know, many Argentines have been subjected to absolutely immoral persecutions," Adorni's statement reads. "No State bureaucrat should be delegated the power to tell an Argentinean what to do with his property."’
Creative Bureaucracy Festival Hub comes to Australia and New Zealand
The Creative Bureaucracy Festival takes its show on the road to discuss a reimagination of what it’s like to be a bureaucrat, including incentives, culture, and relationships.
It sounds oxymoronic, but they might be onto something.
‘We are launching an Australian and New Zealand Hub of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival. This is an innovative approach to public service culture that refutes the nameless, faceless bureaucrat image, and we are looking forward to bringing this to life. This is a call to action and your opportunity to join us.’
Huge, if true.
Senior bureaucrats bend with the political winds, especially if they are in administrative proximity to elected officials.
This finding flies in the face of the conventional wisdom. It is difficult to believe.
‘Key findings reveal that bureaucratic elites who remain in office after a change in the party in power tend to reorient their partisan identity to align more closely with the new political leadership. This adjustment is particularly pronounced among those directly appointed by or in frequent contact with their elected principals. The study highlights the malleability of partisanship among bureaucratic elites, a trait previously underappreciated in public and academic discourse.
‘The implications of this research are significant, suggesting that the political environment can influence the partisan leanings of those in key administrative positions, potentially affecting policy formulation and implementation. The study calls for a re-evaluation of the assumption that bureaucratic partisanship is fixed, opening new avenues for understanding the interplay between politics and administration.’
Operating Successfully within the Bureaucracy Domain of Warfare: Part Two
This is a framework for what the author terms the sixth domain of warfare.
Sun Tzu tells us that “every battle is won or lost before it is ever fought.”
The decisions planners make behind closed doors determines the outcome.
‘Part one outlined how viewing bureaucracy as a domain of warfare can assist policy professionals in navigating its processes and procedures and then described the first three fundamentals (Politics, Personalities, and Pressure), which are externally imposed and must be navigated carefully. Part Two describes the last seven fundamentals (Principles, Perspective, Prediction, Persuasion, Privacy, Programming, and Permanence), which are internally influenced and controlled and can be developed and deployed as a foundation for enhancing success. Mapping the fundamentals for success in the bureaucratic domain will enable policy professionals to address and balance the complexities of the policy-making process to the benefit of US national security.’
CFTC Chief Sees Agency Stretched Thin by Election Bets, Crypto
Just as we’re seeing companies take a more aggressive stand in challenging a capacity-constrained FTC, the CFTC is now also struggling to stay on top of its various mandates.
Maybe it would be better to regulate three things well than ten things incompletely.
‘The decision has left the CFTC continually “stretched thin” as it tackles an inflow of assets to regulate, including cryptocurrencies, Behnam said.’