Steve Kelman on Politics, Culture, and Life, 11.24.2021

Steve Kelman, Harvard Kennedy School prof, moderate Dem, pro free speech/anti cancel culture, pro tax rich, pro-Israel. Research improving gov performance, China interest. Blog reprints Facebook posts

War on Thanksgiving?

At the subway stop yesterday, somebody made a nice gesture, and I wished them a happy holiday. A passerby then said, "Don't say holidays, say Thanksgiving!" So are conservatives now going to start worrying about a "war on Thanksgiving"?

China democracy

China Daily has an article called "China Democracy Wins Global Praise." Most of the praise in article comes from the Russian ambassador to China.

Colin Powell and race

Still not too far along in Colin Powell memoirs (he's still a pretty new recruit) but it is interesting to me how often he is discussing race in the book -- how he was treated in the South, his parents' efforts as Jamaicans to see themselves as respectable, etc. Very interesting discussions. One should hardly be surprised that a black person is very conscious of race, but it seems to me that Powell while in the military and the State Department tried to project a non-race conscious persona. Am I wrong?

Biden management agenda

Worried that politics too prominent in new Biden management agenda, which can hurt crucial support for management reform over party lines

Covid in Europe

My very smart former colleague David Lazer, a data analytics guy who knows a lot about covid, answered my question about why infections are so very high in Europe now, despite vaccination, by saying that the Delta variant is far more contagious than earlier variants, counteracting the effect of vaccination, and that this is covid season In Europe.

Tougher for American researchers to work on China

The South China morning post has an interesting article about the increasing difficulties for American scholars to do research in China. China is still closed off for foreign tourists or visitors, and there is no indication when this might end. In addition, it has become more difficult in recent years to get access to Chinese faculty and government officials for interviews and surveys.