The vast majority of passenger travel in the United States occurs by automobile for shorter distances and airplane or railroad for longer distances. Most cargo in the U.S. is transported by, in descending order, railroad, truck, pipeline, or boat; air shipping is typically used only for perishables and premium express shipments. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental organizations, but some are semi-autonomous agencies within government, and some are associated with particular political parties, businesses or the military. Think tanks are often funded by individual donations, with many also accepting government grants.
In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and objectives.
Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public administration, and international development, four doctoral degrees, and various executive education programs. It conducts research in subjects relating to politics, government, international affairs, and economics. As of 2021, HKS had an endowment of $1.7 billion. It is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a global consortium of schools that trains leaders in international affairs.
A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of public services.
Urban economics is broadly the economic study of urban areas; as such, it involves using the tools of economics to analyze urban issues such as crime, education, public transit, housing, and local government finance. More specifically, it is a branch of microeconomics that studies the urban spatial structure and the location of households and firms.
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit group of approximately 1,500 public and private sector member organizations that promotes and advocates for the interests of the public transportation industry in the United States.
In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between dense, compact urban form and public transport use. In doing so, TOD aims to increase public transport ridership by reducing the use of private cars and by promoting sustainable urban growth.
Gar Alperovitz is an American historian and political economist. Alperovitz served as a fellow of King's College, Cambridge; a founding fellow of the Harvard Institute of Politics; a founding Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies; a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution; and the Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy at the University of Maryland Department of Government and Politics from 1999 to 2015. He also served as a legislative director in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate and as a special assistant in the US Department of State. Alperovitz is a distinguished lecturer with the American Historical Society, co-founded the Democracy Collaborative and co-chairs its Next System Project with James Gustav Speth.
The School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. SIPA offers Master of International Affairs (MIA) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees in a range of fields, as well as the Executive MPA and PhD program in Sustainable Development.
The German Institute for Economic Research, or, more commonly DIW Berlin, is a economic research institute in Germany, involved in basic research and policy advice. It is a non-profit academic institution, financed with public grants from the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Technology and Research and the Federal Department for Economics and Technology. DIW Berlin was founded in 1925 as the Institute for Business Cycle Research and took its current name in 1943.
The Regional Plan Association is an independent, not-for-profit regional planning organization, founded in 1922, that focuses on recommendations to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness of a 31-county New York–New Jersey–Connecticut region in the New York metropolitan area. Headquartered in New York City, it has offices in Princeton, New Jersey, and Stamford, Connecticut.
David Scott Dibble is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate since 2003. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Dibble represents District 61, which includes parts of Minneapolis in Hennepin County. From 2001 to 2003, he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
The Center for Urban Policy Research is a public policy research institute housed at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, USA. Founded in 1969, it has completed over $40 million worth of research for governments and private foundations. Its work focuses on "affordable housing, land use policy, environmental impact analysis, state planning, public finance, land development practice, historic preservation, infrastructure assessment, development impact analysis, the costs of sprawl, transportation information systems, environmental impacts and community economic development."
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) is a public-benefit nonprofit corporation established in 1981 by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Its mission is “Reinventing our economy to collaboratively advance growth and prosperity for all.” The LAEDC was originally formed to facilitate Los Angeles County's economy with programs to improve and stimulate economic development to ameliorate conditions of poverty, community tensions, and social and economic disparities.
The New York Policy Forum was a not-for-profit organization based in New York City. Founded by Jonathan Cohen and John Giardino the New York Policy Forum hosts a series of "expert panels and speakers on a wide range of issues spanning public policy, human rights, education, and the arts."
Phil Goldfeder is an American politician and former Democratic New York State Assembly member from the 23rd district in Queens representing the communities of Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Hamilton Beach, Broad Channel and Rockaway.
Anthony Ernest Shorris is an American civil servant, educator, health care professional. He is a former executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a former first deputy mayor of New York City. He retired from New York City government in 2017 to teach at Princeton University.
Lewis Rudin was an American real estate investor and developer. Along with his older brother Jack Rudin, he presided over a family empire of 40 buildings valued at $2 billion including more than 3,500 apartments in 22 buildings in New York City. Rudin was a founder of NADAP, a private nonprofit social services organization that serves residents in need of the New York City metropolitan area. Rudin also contributed to efforts to rescue New York City from imminent bankruptcy during the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis.
Meera Joshi is an American attorney and government official who has been serving as deputy mayor for operations for New York City since January 2022. She previously served as the deputy and acting administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and New York City Taxi and Limousine Commissioner.
