The Podcast @ DC

The Art and Science of Measuring Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Harassment Initiatives

Using data to make organizations better places to work is an exciting new frontier in both data and social science. But data on its own is not automatically useful—and if not created, collected, generated, or evaluated with care, could even be harmful. In today’s episode, we will discuss the promise and perils of data-driven approaches to tracking and improving diversity, inclusivity, and the overall effectiveness of workplace anti-harassment programs. Our guests on this episode are Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy, Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Center for Data Science at New York University, Zoe Cooper Thomas, the Deputy General Counsel for DCHR, and Luisa Ngyuen, the Equal Employment Opportunity Program Manager for the District Department of Transportation. Since we recorded this episode, Mayor Muriel Bowser appointed Dr. Amber Hewitt as the District's first Chief Equity Officer. You can read the press release (https://dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-appoints-dr-amber-hewitt-district%E2%80%99s-first-chief-equity-officer) for more about her appointment. Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C1z4uEHzrz_l8nDZCtpCNvA9fsTfiZeL/view?usp=sharing Music from filmmusic.io "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Federal Evidence Act: What Local Government Can Learn

On January 14, 2019, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, also called the Evidence Act, was signed into law by the President. This new law emphasizes collaboration and coordination among Federal agencies to advance data and evidence-building functions. It also mandates new federal evidence-building activities, open government data, and confidential information protection. The Evidence Act represents an important step forward in how Federal agencies approach evidence-based policymaking, something we here at The Lab @ DC work hard toward in the District every single day. To help us better understand this law and what DC could learn from the federal government’s new approach to evidence-building, in August 2019, we talked to Dr. Diana Epstein, the Evidence Team Lead at the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, where Diana and her colleagues are working hard to start implementing the Evidence Act. We’re also joined by Jenny Reed, the Director of the DC Office of Budget and Performance Management, to talk about what DC is doing to promote evidence-based policymaking and where we may want to learn from the Evidence Act. We want to know what you think about The Podcast @ DC! Take our quick listener survey here: tinyurl.com/thepodcastatdc. Music from filmmusic.io "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

No Strings Attached: The Effects of UBI in the U.S.

Universal basic income (UBI), also referred to as a guaranteed minimum income, income guarantee, or unconditional cash transfer, involves regularly giving cash without conditions directly to everyone within a geographic or political territory on a long-term basis. The idea has become a widely discussed measure in policy circles around the world. Ioana Marinescu covers the evidence relevant to UBI's potential impact in the United States. Many studies did not find or found a very small effect on the likelihood that recipients stop working, work less, or earn less. The evidence does show that a UBI can improve health and educational outcomes and decrease criminality and drug & alcohol use, especially among the most disadvantaged youths. We want to know what you think about The Podcast @ DC! Take our quick listener survey here: tinyurl.com/thepodcastatdc. Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X5c6GmfGz-4nYAJUbtwV5SBeFy8Ezd_g/view?usp=sharing Music from filmmusic.io "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Protecting the Confidentiality of the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census is here. With growth in computing power, advances in mathematics, and easy access to large, public databases, how is the U.S. Census Bureau ensuring respondent privacy and confidentiality at every stage of the data lifecycle? Dr. John Abowd, Associate Director for Research and Methodology and Chief Scientist at the Census Bureau, joins us to talk about differential privacy and the new confidentiality protection system that will provide the foundation for safeguarding all the data of the 2020 Census. We want to know what you think about The Podcast @ DC! Take our quick listener survey here: tinyurl.com/thepodcastatdc. Music from filmmusic.io "Loopster" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

What's trust got to do with it? - From the archives

As The Lab and the rest of the DC government respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency, we’re releasing a series of past podcasts from our archives. In this episode, former Lab Director, David Yokum, speaks with Benoy Jacob, Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to explore the relationship between trust and civic engagement and what it means for the governance of the country.