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MPPA Newsletter – Spring 2021
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Statistical Literacy and Public Policies
Dr. Gustavo Lara-Gonzalez Public policies describe the action of the government. This action is in response to issues brought by the public before the public officials. The response of the government is by enacting laws and regulations. Thus, the government is a manufacturer of public policies. The aim of public or private policy has two […]
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How to be an anti-racist: How to craft policies that promote equity
Can public policies be racist? Can they disadvantage certain racial and ethnic groups while advantaging others? Yes, that is certainly what has happened in our country, for a very long time, argues Ibram X Kendi, in his book How to be an anti-racist. Given the moment of time we are in, with police violence on […]
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Should we take down Christopher Columbus’s statues?
With the ongoing protests surrounding equality for Black and colored people, around the world; the question of monuments (including statutes) has come up, rather forcefully. Should we continue celebrating Christopher Columbus, who treated the Native Americans cruelly? Should we celebrate his ‘discovery’ of the Americas as a great event or something that took away much […]
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Habits of the Heart featured in top 40 blogs on philanthropy
I am happy to announce that this blog, Habits of the Heart, which focuses on philanthropy and public policy is featured as one of the top 40 blogs on philanthropy on https://blog.feedspot.com/philanthropy_blogs/ While this is a privilege and honor, I would like to hear from you, the reader, what topics you’d like to read more […]
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Innovative solutions to travel policy challenge in Canada
John Marroquin The Republic of Canada is known for having some of the strictest laws for immigration and visitation for foreign nationals who have been convicted of driving under the influence (DUI), or equivalent misconduct in their respective countries. With the steadily rising number of tourists year by year and the number of foreign nationals […]
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Two Americans in Ecuador
While the American political apparatus is busy withdrawing itself from the world, I met two incredible Americans who have not only spent their energies, but also their time trying to make Ecuador a better place. Just last week I was in Quito, the country’s capital to visit Sun Mountain, an organization founded by Scott Solberg, an […]
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An artist as philanthropist : Umm Kulthum as an exemplar
For those who know Umm Kulthum , the Egyptian singer and iconoclast, they are also familiar with her role in rallying the entire Arab world together, in times of great need. Her role as the ‘voice of Egypt’ is well known. Not so well known may be her role as a philanthropist. We recently […]
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Ten Commandments for an International Relations Professional
I received an email from a relative in India, requesting me to speak with his niece, who is considering grad school in the U.S. She wants to specialize in International Relations. This is perhaps the fifth or so request I have received in the last year. So, I thought of writing a blog post for […]
