Orlando Sentinel: The post-coronavirus world could see more employees working from home, analysis says

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I consulted with my colleagues at the Rockefeller Institute about how to address it through my future of work writing. The first piece I proposed was a natural spin-off from my January 2020 policy report on the rise of the remote workforce

It attracted quite a bit of attention and was one of the first analyses that suggested the pandemic would accelerate the already-growing trend of remote work. Among the places that interviewed be about the piece was the Orlando Sentinel’s Marco Santana. Here’s an excerpt from his story:

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could sharply increase the number of people who work from home after it subsides, according to a new analysis.

Researchers at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, which had been monitoring the practice even before the crisis, said businesses have been forced to find a way to make remote work succeed.

“Surveys have shown that a lot of employers are opening up more to telecommuting,” said Liz Farmer, a fiscal policy expert who authored the study. “Others who hadn’t or wouldn’t have considered it or were worried that production might drop, they have now been forced to let their employees work from home.”

The result is more once-skeptical business owners may embrace remote work, the study found.

Click here to read the full article.

Joining the New Future of Labor Research Center at the Rockefeller Institute of Government

In December, I began researching and writing about the public policy implications of the future of work for the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The topic is one of the most relevant and important of our time for both citizens and policymakers alike, and I'm thrilled to be a voice in it.

The following is a press release announcing the institute's Future of Labor Center, and my research fellowship.

Goodbye, Governing

On Aug. 7, 2019, Governing magazine’s parent company announced it was closing down the magazine at the end of the month. September 2019, which was already in the can, was to be our last issue. It was heartbreaking to find out so abruptly that after 32 years, a publication that state and local policymakers relied upon for nonpartisan coverage of the issues that mattered to their jobs would suddenly be gone. The staff — half of whom received the news via conference call — was shocked. What helped soften the blow, however, was the immediate outpouring of love and support from hundreds of readers and fans.

Governing changed my career. In a recent post, a version of which was first published by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, I got to reflect upon my time at the magazine and pay tribute to the people who made it great.

The Market Urbanism Report Podcast

The Market Urbanism Report is the brainchild of Scott Beyer, a fellow journalist and commentator on the cross between free-market policies and urban issues. This year, he launched a podcast and I was invited to join an episode to discuss the state of municipal finance in America.

Are cities spending their way into long-term financial ruin? Or do their good credit scores and lack of bankruptcy signal health? Tune in to find out.


Big Mayor, Small Town

When I first saw Chris Cabaldon speak at an event nearly six years ago, I did a mental double-take. What was the mayor of tiny, old West Sacramento (West Sac, as everyone back in California calls it) doing giving a speech in Washington, D.C.? But it didn’t take long to see why: size, schmize. This man can command a room. And what he’s saying is really important.

Let's Make a Deal, Houston Edition

In January, photographer David Kidd and I spent three days in Houston for a profile story on the city’s mayor, Sylvester Turner. Turner first came on my radar in 2016, when he negotiated landmark pension reform for the city in remarkably quick fashion. Turner was less than a year into his term and he’d managed to achieve what previous administrations had failed to do.

Turner, who spent 27 years in the legislature prior to becoming mayor, clearly has some deal-making chops. That was the theme of the story and I saw it play out in various ways over my trip there.

The cost of the opioid crisis to governments

The cost of the opioid crisis to governments

The opioid crisis is taking more lives every year than the Vietnam War. It’s also taking a toll on public resources like hospitals, public safety and schools. Millions — billions — of dollars are at stake.

I’ve been writing about this subject for the past year and my stories were noticed by the Minnesota Recovery Corps. They asked me to come out to a conference in October to deliver a talk about how governments are grappling with the crisis.