Social Goods, or Socialism?

Americans have two very separate views of socialism. We need to learn to talk constructively about both of them.

Benchmarking Social Goods

Public goods providers are often monopolies. Thus, they don’t face direct competition. Citizens can’t choose from multiple local vendors for driver’s licenses or building permits. But, citizens can compare the service they receive with their social goods with the service that they get from private sector providers.

Innovative Pricing Turns Plastic Into Transit

It’s a different way to pay with plastic — bottles instead of credit cards. Cities like Beijing, Istanbul, Sydney, and Surabaya let you pay public transit fares with recyclable plastic. Innovative transit pricing is one way that public and social sector marketers achieve multiple goals at once.

Free Download! Service Design Workshop Materials

There’s huge opportunity in improving the design and distribution of government and nonprofit services. This is doubly true for making services more digital. How do you get started? Begin with a service design workshop. Read more and download free workshop materials.

Branding Public Transportation

One benefit of a strong brand is that customers will pay more or go out of their way for their preferred brand of product or service. How else do you explain basic items like sunglasses priced at more than $1,000? In marketing the social good, is branding public transportation the answer to getting drivers off...Continue reading

Four Ways to Design Cities That Fight Climate Change

Earth already has a majority urban population. According to urban planner Peter Calthorpe, by 2050 our planet’s urban population will double. That means providing social goods and services to billions more city dwellers. How we accommodate that urban growth will say a lot about who we are and want to be. We can choose to...Continue reading

Data-driven Design for Transportation Infrastructure Saves Lives

According to U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 47 percent of fatal traffic accidents in the U.S. occur in urban areas, resulting in nearly 15,000 deaths per year. That’s more than 40 people dying each day on urban roadways.  If there was a data-driven design for transportation infrastructure that saved lives, shouldn’t we implement it?...Continue reading

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