Rules
Civic Startups: Lessons from Shenzhen
Shenzhen can be described as a civic startup and more specifically, an example of a charter city. On these metrics as well as several others it can be considered a success. As leaders think about …
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Instagram and Changing the Rules
Leaders who make sudden changes to the rules may encounter a backlash from their communities. The problem arises when a community’s dominant social norms do not align with the change the leadership wishes to pursue. …
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Region-Based Visas in the Atlantic Cities Blog
Sean Rust and I make the case for region-based visas over at the Atlantic Cities blog: America’s cities are the engines of its growth. Though the immigration bill before Congress would help cities by increasing …
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The Urban H7N9 Virus
With all the benefits that cities bring, there are some drawbacks that occur from close interactions with other people. As Paul Romer mentioned in a recent blog post: New communities add variance to the outcomes …
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Disaster Response After the Boston Marathon
Atul Gawande, an American surgeon, professor, and journalist with an expertise on the interplay of rules and technologies in the medical field, has written an interesting piece for the New Yorker on the Boston Marathon …
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J.C. Penney and Culture
J.C. Penney is a timely example in the corporate world on how systems of rules are persistent. The high-level details of ousted CEO Ron Johnson’s strategy were: Johnson’s strategy, which included trading steep sales for …
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Learning from Dubai and Shanghai
Daniel Brook recently published excerpts about Shanghai and Dubai from his new book, A History of Future Cities. Though neither city fits the definition of a charter city, their histories provide useful case studies. China’s experience shows that a …
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The Organizational Chart as a Meta-Idea
It is believed that Daniel McCallum created the first organizational chart in 1854 when he was in charge of the New York and Erie Railroad. A McKinsey case study (login required) documents McCallum’s efforts, citing the work of …
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Potential Impact of Immigration on Laws and Norms
Eugene Volokh and Ilya Somin have started an interesting conversation on immigration at the Volokh Conspiracy blog. The initial exchange centered on the potential for immigration to alter the social norms and formal laws in the destination …
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