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Podcast: Framing is vital for survival

Podcast: Framing is vital for survival

From pandemics, populism and climate change, AI and ISIS, inflation and growing tensions with China and Russia, we are faced with enormous challenges— some of which threaten our existence. In this episode of “How Do We Fix It”, hosts Jim Meigs and Richard Davies discuss how we are all influenced by our personal perspectives and prejudices— our frames— and how we can use mental models to see patterns, solve problems and go beyond a narrow lens of red vs. blue or "us" vs. "them."

This episode’s guests are Kenneth Cukier, deputy executive editor of "The Economist", and Francis de Véricourt, professor of management science at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin. Both are co-authors of "Framers. Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil." This innovative book shows how framing is not just a way to improve decision-making in an age of algorithms and machine learning, but also a matter for survival at a time of upheaval.


Real-world examples of how framers changed the world include: The rapid rise of #MeToo, which went viral on Twitter after the actress Alyssa Milano tweeted a request to her followers: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” Successful, innovative responses to Covid-19 were made by the governments of New Zealand and Taiwan. Recently, the Federal Reserve was forced to change its inflation frame before beginning a series of interest rate hikes.

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Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose Ranked Choice Voting for All Elections

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Image: Getty Images on Unsplash. Unsplash+ license obtained by IVN Editor Shawn Griffiths.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose Ranked Choice Voting for All Elections

BELOIT, Wis. — State Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and Representative Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit) introduced LRB-5709 on March 5, legislation that would implement ranked choice voting for state, federal, and local elections in Wisconsin.

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Why Can’t Politics Be More Like March Madness?

Every spring, March Madness briefly turns America into something rare: a nation cheering, arguing, celebrating, and commiserating together without tearing itself apart.

For a few weeks, we forget who is a Democrat, Republican, or Independent. We forget which states are “red” or “blue.” We forget the tribal labels that dominate much of American politics. Instead, we focus on something simple: which team plays the best basketball?

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Democracy Fellowship Spotlight: Rebuilding Shared Civic Purpose

Earlier this year, the Bridge Alliance and the National Academy of Public Administration launched the Fellows for Democracy and Public Service Initiative to strengthen the country's civic foundations. This fellowship unites the Academy’s distinguished experts with the Bridge Alliance’s cross‑sector ecosystem to elevate distributed leadership throughout the democracy reform landscape. Instead of relying on traditional, top‑down models, the program builds leadership ecosystems—spaces where people share expertise, prioritize collaboration, and use public‑facing storytelling to renew trust in democratic institutions. Each fellow grounds their work in one of six core sectors essential to a thriving democratic republic.

Below is an interview with Kristina Becvar. She currently advises clients across the democracy ecosystem, including bridging and dialogue, participatory practices, nonpartisan reform, civic engagement and education, governance, and trusted information, bringing expertise in strategy, communications, and research. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund and co-publisher of The Fulcrum.

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Seniors Face Unfair Rents and Homelessness. They Need Rent Control

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Seniors Face Unfair Rents and Homelessness. They Need Rent Control

From mobile home parks in Maine to modest apartments in California, seniors desperately need rent control to protect themselves against skyrocketing rents charged by predatory landlords. Our grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles, many of whom live on fixed incomes, face serious, life-altering consequences if politicians don’t protect them. They need rent control now.

One of the most alarming housing stories over the years is that more and more seniors in the United States have been pushed into homelessness due to unfair, excessive rents. In fact, the U.S. Government Accountability Office noted in 2025 that “about 20 percent of those experiencing homelessness (or one in five) were older adults, ages 55 and up.”

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