2015 NASPAA Simulation Competition

Next week I will be embarking on a new feint representing ASU at the regional NASPAA Student Simulation Competition February 28 at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy. This is the first year of the competition and as such, not only are stakes high to represent ASU as a top research institution, but I am also nervous because although I’ve been trained at the Masters level in advanced policy analysis and research methods, simulation research is a completely new field to me this semester. Regardless, I'm now competing against some of best minds in the region and being judged by leading researchers and professionals.  Confidence alone won’t be enough to get me through this one, but needless to say I’m incredibly excited. 

NASPAA for those of you unfamiliar to it, is the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration. This organization is responsible for accrediting graduate schools of public policy, affairs, and administration globally. Simulation research is an increasingly useful and dynamic way to showcase, evaluate, and understand complex problems. This day-long competition will put to the test our critical thinking skills, collaborative abilities, and creativity to find a pragmatic solution to a looming health policy issue. We stand to be judged at every point of the competition and winners get their pick of incredible list of prizes in addition to bragging rights.

The countdown is soon and most likely by the time anyone reads this I’ll be neck deep in the competition.

Wish me luck Sun Devils!

Snap Back to Reality

As an undergrad and halfway into my graduate program I was under the impression that talent, skill, and charisma would easily translate into job. I mean who wouldn’t want to hire a smart, well-rounded, educated and ambitious individual hungry to change the world and tackle on societies biggest problems? Little did I consider, the probability that not only would I be competing with thousands of likeminded individuals but that systemically I was at a disadvantage.

Perhaps one of the most disappointing and enlightening days of my life was when I received a rejection letter from the most prestigious post graduate civil service program in the U.S., the Presidential Management Fellows. I remember thinking to myself, “well there goes my life.” Fast forward to today, I still pick at the scab from time to time thinking of “what if?” But since then, I’ve applied to over six different jobs, with most not even qualifying me for an interview. If you haven’t been down that road, congrats! It’s terrible, scary, and completely demoralizing. But I chose to remain productive, patient, and focused on my day to day interactions – something very easy to neglect when you’re focused on the “where you want to be” instead of the “where you are right now.” During the last few months, I’ve gained a passion for a field I didn’t even consider in my radar, a good network of mentors open to giving me opportunities in the field, and a couple of interviews this week with some of the most powerful firms in my field.

Even if these prospects don’t work out, I feel focused, determined, and reignited. But more than anything, I’m grateful for the opportunity. At 23, I am entering a field where the median age of an acting professional is 35.  I am supported by individuals that care about my development and belong to a community of outstanding professionals. Most importantly, I’m humbled enough to recognize that even when life throws you lemons the promise of lemonade stands true to this day.

So if you’re in the job hunt, remember to take time to explore, think critically about your interests and prospects, and remember it’s not getting there that counts, it’s how.

For now, I’ll try my best to stay optimistic, although the job hunt is inherently competitive, the biggest competition is always with yourself.

Economic Development and the War over Jobs

Do you ever sit back while watching politicians promise to “grow the economy,” “create jobs,” and “put Americans back to work” and wonder how they plan to make it all happen? Most often than not, politicians don’t have a clue, not necessarily due to incompetence (although that’s questionable), but because they increasingly rely on a set of economic development experts to guide them through the madness. For those unfamiliar with the whole idea behind Economic Development, William Fulton of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University best sums it up as the act of growing, stealing, adding, and ensuring constituents have “jobs”. And by jobs we mean quality, long-term jobs; jobs that propel individuals or families to the middle class and have added value to the community.

Today more than ever, economic development has become the new hot trend in public administration and we’re seeing not only states, counties, and large cities, but also small towns incorporate economic development offices as integral parts of their administrations. What has become of the phenomenon is what some experts call the Economic Development Wars. The result is more than $80 billion spent by states and municipalities each year in competitive tax breaks, cash payments, building subsidies, and worker training to start-up, steal, and keep U.S. firms. The huge question remains, are any of these strategies working? Who’s accountable? And more importantly, is $80 billion each year better spent elsewhere?

The truth like in most things is, it depends. It depends on your community’s skill sets, landscape, and natural advantages in gaining capital investment. For many years and to this day, what this has transitioned into is an arena of competitive business incentives where states, counties, cities, and towns all compete for businesses and businesses, particularly the Boeing’s, G.M.’s, and Tech Giants of the world, sit back and watch states compete in a gladiator style race to the bottom. Today, quality/ long-term jobs have become the exception not the norm, but economic developers continue to rely on the same strategy. Regardless, of this fact one thing rings true, even at its worse, economic development has a bigger stake in directly and immediately affecting constituents than many government services. So what is there to do?

These questions sparked my passion for Economic Development last fall and luckily there are plenty of individuals taking on the challenge. One of them being, Victoria Demchak whose 2013 book emphasized the importance of considering economic development as a three pillared edifice, where too much or too little investment in one pillar produces an unsound or unstable environment for economic development. This is a much better mindset and most likely a much more flexible, sustainable, and effective strategy for economic developers particularly as we see the definition of "jobs" change in the future. I for one, will consider this strategy as I move forward in my career, and advise that you do the same if ED is something your into. What do think?

Demchak, Victoria. 2013. "Art, Wine, and Local Investment in the Finger Lakes: Designing a Collaborative Stakeholder Tourism in Tompkins County." Submitted to the 2013 APA Economic Development Division Travel Scholarship.