USC Schaeffer Center launches Healthcare Markets Initiative to improve value and efficiency in healthcare
It has been estimated that upwards of 30 percent of U.S. healthcare spending is on care or services that is inappropriate or wasteful while at the same time many patients don’t get access to the care they need. Over the last 12 years, the University of Southern California’s Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health … Continued
Liberalism: The Mother of Innovation
Universities have become the frontlines of the American culture wars, with both the political left and right policing which ideas can and cannot be discussed. When a University San Diego (USD) law professor supported an unpopular but credible theory related to the source of COVID-19, the USD administration launched an investigation. At the University of … Continued
Driving Discovery: A series on openness and human progress
In my 16 years at the Charles Koch Foundation, I have had the pleasure of working with—and being inspired by—some of the best minds in the world. These people share a common calling: to discover solutions that help empower people to transform and improve their lives. This calling also represents a core ingredient of human … Continued
Dare to be different
For decades, George Mason University’s Economics Department and the Mercatus Center have put theory into practice and bet on the unconventional — with impressive results. As the world needed scientific solutions to combat COVID-19, Tyler Cowen, a George Mason University economics professor, saw a problem that demanded urgent attention. Scientists desperately needed money — money that was agile, quick, and responsive to the needs of researchers. So, he helped in the creation of Fast Grants, an effort based … Continued
West Virginia University welcomes Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Licensing
Since its founding at Saint Francis University (SFU) in 2016, the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation (CSOR) has grown into one of the nation’s leading sources for thought leadership and research on how occupational licensing laws can create barriers to economic opportunity. The center, led by Dr. Ed Timmons, has provided a critical understanding of how occupational licensing laws have proliferated and how they have impacted individuals. As a result, municipal and state policymakers have … Continued
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning to Provide an Enhanced Understanding of Adult Learner Preferences
In 2020, nearly 40 percent of high school graduates decided not to go to college. More than 16 million people aged 16 to 24 were not in school at all—about 44 percent of Americans in that age group. These people are among those struggling the most in the COVID economy. What is keeping these adults from entering postsecondary education programs? What are the … Continued
CKF Poll: Majority of Americans think colleges should innovate, adapt to students’ needs
A new survey the Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) shows Americans believe colleges and universities should do a better job of changing to meet the needs and preferences of students. The poll also shows less than one-fifth of Americans think higher education is headed in the right direction. The survey of 1,000 respondents was conducted by … Continued
The science of bridging divides
A series of studies by Juliana Schroeder and her team at U.C. Berkeley explain why polarization is happening — and how to fix it. In his book Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace: Finding Solutions That Work, author Asa Don Brown observed that “communication is an art form that is crafted throughout our lives.” A team … Continued
ICYMI: Higher education must change
As higher education leaders continue to grapple with the pandemic and resulting economic disruption, it is increasingly apparent the circumstance of today’s learners have shifted dramatically. In two new podcasts and an op-ed, Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) Executive Director Ryan Stowers cautions that institution leaders should not fall back to their pre-pandemic status quo. To … Continued