O'Neill Speaks

• 19 | The Critical Role of Government with Paul Helmke

  One of the first actions of the new US presidential administration was an executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with reviewing and reducing federal spending.Since the executive order was signed January 20, the headlines have flown on a near-daily basis about cuts, reforms, and mass layoffs of federal workers. The actions are controversial, immediately triggering a host of lawsuits with some of the department’s actions already being reversed by federal court decisions. The effort has introduced rampant uncertainty into the federal government bureaucracy, and the shifting sands of the future has brought many areas of the government to a near standstill.All the headlines about cuts and reforms grab a lot of attention, but overlooked in the winds of change are the essential role government and its programs play in our day-to-day lives.We’re joined today by Professor of Practice Paul Helmke to talk about the government’s role in our lives. Paul is the Director of the Civic Leaders Center at the O’Neill School, and he is also the former president and CEO of the Brady Center/Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and a three-term Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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• 18 | Improving Federal Government Performance with Jim Perry and Les Lenkowsky

  On Aug. 12, 1986, then-president Ronald Reagan, held a press conference in the Rosemont Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago, the 38th of his presidency. Before taking questions, President Reagan said he wanted to send a special message to America’s farmers, namely that he had a goal to remove what he believed were some regulatory barriers that were holding back the farmer’s prosperity.He phrased that viewpoint simply. “I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help,” Reagan said.And with that phrase, President Reagan encapsulated the feelings of millions of Americans. Nearly 40 years later, the issue of the effectiveness of the United States government to be a positive influence on the country remains at the forefront of our political discourse. Americans are distrustful of the government and have deep questions about the role it should play in their lives.Seeking some answers to the issue is the impetus behind the upcoming Evidence-Based Solutions for Improving Federal Government Performance Conference, which will be held at the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13. This one-day conference will feature a panel of distinguished experts, including Kevin Kosar from the American Enterprise Institute; Amy Holmes from the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence; Peter Warren, senior advisor to James Comer, who is the incoming Chairman of the House Oversight Committee; Jennifer Mattingley of the Partnership for Public Service; and Renata Lemos from the World Bank. Phillip Howard, chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which advocates simplifying government, will provide the keynote address. They will address the critical question: What can be done to improve federal government performance?We’re joined today by two of the organizers of the event, Professor Emeritus in Public Affairs and Philanthropic Studies Leslie Lenkowsky and Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Chancellor's Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Emeritus Jim Perry. Professor Lenkowsky is an expert in volunteering and civic engagement, nonprofits and public policy, civil society in comparative perspective, education and social welfare policy, and social entrepreneurship. He was a founding director of the Corporation for National and Community Service during the Clinton Administration, and he was appointed by President George W. Bush as the CEO of the corporation in 2001.Professor Perry is an internationally recognized leader in public administration and the study of public management. His 45 years of scholarship includes expertise in public management, public organizational behavior, government and civil service reform, national and community service, public service motivation, and performance-related pay.

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• 17 | Community organizations and combatting social isolation with Brad Fulton

  For the past several years, researchers, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have warned of the growing issue of social isolation, a growing loneliness epidemic, and the impact it is having on the physical and mental health of people not only in the United States but around the world.The Surgeon General reported that social isolation increases the risk of premature death by 29 percent, the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and other serious medical conditions.That’s the bad news. The good news is the solution to social isolation, and the loneliness that can accompany it, may already exist in the form of community organizations that once formed the bedrock of community involvement and can play a major, if evolving, role.We’re joined by Associate Professor Brad Fulton, an expert on the social, political, and economic impact of community-based organizations. He directs the National Study of Community Organizing—a multi-level study that examines the causes and consequences of racial, socioeconomic, and religious diversity within grassroots advocacy organizations. Fulton also co-leads the Observing Civic Engagement project—a field study that uses an innovative data collection technique, known as systematic social observation, to analyze the internal dynamics of organizations.

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• 16 | The Changing Reality for Charitable Disaster Relief Organizations with Beth Gazley

  When Hurricane Helene roared across Florida and up the East Coast in late September, relief efforts began immediately. People were without power, water, food, medical supplies and a host of other basic needs.The Federal Emergency Management Agency exists for these types of situations, but it’s also when nonprofit organizations spring into action. From high-profile organizations such as the American Red Cross and the United Way to smaller, local organizations, nonprofits play a huge role in the recovery effort. The work is difficult and expensive, and the physical and mental energy required quickly takes its toll on volunteers.Then, of course, just a couple of weeks later, Hurricane Milton struck Florida, stacking disasters and impacting nonprofits that were already stretched by Helene.To find out the kind of impact these stacked disasters may have on nonprofit organizations helping with relief efforts and the challenges that will be faced not only in the present but in the future, we’re joined by Professor Beth Gazley, who is a world-renowned expert in U.S. nonprofit management and civil society policy. She has published more than 85 research articles, books, and commentary addressing intersectoral collaboration, volunteerism, nonprofit governance, public service coproduction, association management, disaster response, and other topics.All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

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• 15 | The Challenge of Tax Reform with Justin Ross

  Back in 2017, the United States congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which featured several significant changes to the individual income tax, including reforms to itemized deductions and the alternative minimum tax, an expanded standard deduction and child tax credit, and lower marginal tax rates across brackets.Proponents hailed the measure as a much-needed reform that would generate economic growth, expand wages, and put the country on the path to fiscal responsibility. Critics said it was a giveaway to corporations and the wealthy that would only balloon the national debt, and a recent study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that there was a boost in investment in the U.S. economy and some wage growth, but not nearly as much as was promised.What can’t be argued is that several provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act were designed to sunset in 2025, and there is considerable debate about what provisions should be extended on a more permanent basis and which parts of the act should be allowed expire on schedule.We're joined by Professor Justin Ross to help us try to sort through the noise when it comes to tax reform. Justin is a public finance economist specializing in state and local tax policy, and his primary research interests include property tax-related issues such as assessment and zoning. He is part of tax reform task forces in multiple states and is an expert in how tax policy has an impact in the real world.

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