Late last year saw the publication of report examining the lack of technically skilled and creative workers in the public sector, and the serious problems this poses for government and civil society. Commissioned by the Ford Foundation in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, “A Future of Failure? The Flow of Technology Talent into Government and Society,” explored the roots of the problem and some potential remedies.

On Tuesday, April 29 in Washington, D.C., the New America Foundation and the MIT Information Policy Project will host an event to discuss the report’s findings. Experts will discuss the implications of the technological deficit and consider recommendations for building a more robust talent pipeline to find, attract, and retain technically skilled people in our government and civil society.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO of the New America Foundation, will introduce the discussion, which will feature insights from Harvard Law School Professor Susan Crawford; Tom Kalil, deputy director for policy of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; independent researcher Ashkan Soltani and Dan Tangherlini, administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration. Alan Davidson, co-founder of the MIT Information Policy Project, will moderate the conversation.

More Information

• Read the full report, “A Future of Failure? The Flow of Technology Talent into Government and Society.”
• Read the Politico article, “Silicon Valley Lures Tech Talent D.C. Craves.”