The hottest Public Services Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

Row breaks out over council’s redundancy plans

NN Journal • 178 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. The West Northamptonshire Council is offering voluntary redundancies to staff to cut costs as they face a budget shortfall. This could also include options for early retirement and reduced work hours.
  2. The Labour party is very unhappy with this decision, calling it a 'debacle' that risks worsening already strained public services.
  3. Current waiting times for services are long, and losing staff now might make these services even harder to access for the public.

The left is missing out on AI (Odds and Ends #87)

Odds and Ends of History • 536 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Public Services
  1. The left is largely missing the AI moment and risks falling behind unless it starts engaging seriously with the technology.
  2. Public services need to be rebuilt for an agentic future. Governments should expose functions via APIs so AI assistants can check benefits or renew passports on people’s behalf.
  3. AI is already reshaping culture and institutions, with unsettling humanoid robots and fast disruption of media industries like broadcasting and Hollywood.

Zohran Mamdani's Magnificent First Two Weeks

JoeWrote • 582 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. Zohran Mamdani has moved quickly to prove a leftist can govern by using executive actions and bold appointments to deliver immediate results. He prioritized tenant protections, worker support, and a state-backed childcare pilot to show practical wins.
  2. The administration emphasizes concrete, everyday improvements—like public restrooms, suing exploitative gig apps, canceling harmful orders, and pro-worker commissions—to improve people’s lives rather than just talk.
  3. Significant pushback and legal hurdles already exist, from political attacks to court setbacks and policing questions, so governing will involve learning, tradeoffs, and managed growing pains.

The Death of the Public Library

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2184 implied HN points • 08 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Public Services
  1. Public libraries are declining, not because people read less, but because they are being used more as shelters for the homeless.
  2. Many libraries are struggling with visitors and book circulation, making it hard for people to find a quiet space to read or study.
  3. Despite their beauty and potential, libraries like the Mandel in West Palm Beach are facing challenges that affect their original purpose.

Yes, AI really can be used to tackle potholes

Odds and Ends of History • 2077 implied HN points • 17 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Public Services
  1. AI can help local councils find and fix potholes more efficiently. It uses cameras and algorithms to spot problems without needing workers to stop and inspect manually.
  2. The technology can identify not only potholes but also other issues like broken signs and overgrown vegetation. This means councils can be proactive in road maintenance.
  3. Using AI for road maintenance can save time and resources for councils. This allows them to collect useful data and prioritize repairs better, despite limited budgets.
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Bigger State Doesn’t Mean Bigger Bureaucracy

Erik Examines • 358 implied HN points • 30 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. A bigger government doesn't always mean more bureaucracy. Sometimes, more money just flows through the same systems without needing extra workers.
  2. Smaller governments can create more confusion by pushing tasks to local groups or private companies, leading to more regulations and complexity.
  3. Clear standards and smart designs in government can help manage complexity better than just trying to shrink the size of the state.

What Happens Next?

Can We Still Govern? • 993 implied HN points • 07 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. If Trump returns to office, he will likely make major changes to how federal workers are treated, possibly firing many and reclassifying them as political appointees. This could create a government that is less experienced and more loyal to his administration.
  2. Trump's second term may be more organized but still chaotic, with a focus on advancing his goals and possibly reducing regulatory oversight. However, this could lead to a decline in the quality of public services and less effective governance overall.
  3. Corruption might become more common under Trump, with personal interests overlapping with government duties. This could result in conflicts of interest becoming normalized, making it harder to hold him and his administration accountable.

Britain's austerity has millions of losers

System Change • 432 implied HN points • 02 Mar 23
🌍 World Politics Public Services
  1. Austerity in Britain has negatively impacted public services and public sector employees.
  2. The economic policy of austerity has failed and led to a significant decrease in real wages for British workers.
  3. High public debt in Britain is a consequence of economic policy failure and does not directly impact the funding of public services.

The Woes of Oakland: Homelessness

The Discourse Lounge • 1595 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. Oakland's homelessness crisis is a result of underproduction of housing compared to job growth in the region.
  2. Crime in Oakland is influenced by factors like homicide, organized criminal groups, reckless drivers, and homelessness.
  3. Oakland struggles to address homelessness due to financial constraints, dependency on neighboring cities, and lack of resources.

Half of All Australian Air Noise Complaints Came From A Single Perth Man with 20,000 Calls.

Really Stupid • 3 HN points • 14 Sep 24
😂 Humor Public Services
  1. A man in Perth made an astonishing 20,716 noise complaints about airplanes in just one year. That means almost half of all complaints in Australia came from him alone.
  2. On average, the man called about every 6 minutes during business hours, showing an extreme level of dedication to his complaints.
  3. Despite all these complaints, it seems that simply calling a lot doesn't necessarily lead to changes or solutions for his noise issues.

You Can't Eat Democracy

An Africanist Perspective • 356 implied HN points • 16 Jan 23
🌍 World Politics Public Services
  1. Voters prioritize material outcomes in democracies. If democracies cannot address citizens' needs and improve their material conditions, they risk collapse.
  2. African democracies are facing challenges in delivering on their promises, leading to a decline in voter satisfaction with democracy, reflecting in part an erosion of legitimacy.
  3. To make democracy work in African states, it is essential to focus on building effective states beyond just electoral processes, align democracy with material motivations, and embrace the idea of decentralized and developmentalist democracy.

How Will Trump's Executive Orders Change Government?

Can We Still Govern? • 375 implied HN points • 21 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. There's a new hiring freeze for federal workers, except for some critical positions. This might lead to fewer employees in public service and could impact areas like the IRS.
  2. Trump's orders are bringing back a system that allows him to fire career employees and replace them with political appointees. This could change how government jobs are managed and create a more partisan public service.
  3. Many staff will have to return to in-person work, which could make it harder for the government to attract and keep talented employees. Remote work has been shown to be productive, but there's a push to end those arrangements.

Center of the Community

Splattern • 119 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Public Services
  1. Community centers offer valuable activities and services, like affordable gym access and wellness options. It's great to see how they promote health and fitness in a fun way.
  2. Trying new workouts, like the Stair Master, can be a refreshing experience. It allows you to focus on personal progress without comparisons to others.
  3. Engaging in unique activities, such as rock climbing, helps build confidence and reduces the pressure of performance. It's okay to fail and learn without judgment.

Is America A Failed State?

Castalia • 219 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. Travel experiences highlight issues in customer service and corporate practices. Many people are frustrated with technology getting in the way and feeling ignored by automated systems.
  2. America's economic landscape is dominated by a few large corporations, leading to less competition and lower quality service. This shift has resulted in a sense of uniformity and dissatisfaction in many communities.
  3. People often accept the current system without questioning it, similar to the way citizens in a failing state might feel. There's a need for accountability and reform to improve the situation.

The Unbearable Heaviness of Government

The New Urban Order • 119 implied HN points • 13 Jul 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. Local governments struggle to effectively integrate digital technology for improved services like solving congestion or waste management.
  2. The conflict between the agile, user-centric approach of digital tech and the process-oriented nature of government is a central theme in Jennifer Pahlka's book, Recoding America.
  3. Government service delivery challenges are not solely about technology; they also involve bureaucratic culture, the need for implementation-focused leaders, and the importance of public accountability in driving improvement.

Let the sunshine in

City Hall Watcher • 117 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
📰 News Public Services
  1. The Ontario Sunshine List data can provide interesting insights on city salaries and job title trends.
  2. Firefighters saw significant salary increases over the past four years, reflecting a notable trend within the data analyzed.
  3. During the Toronto Council meeting preview, it was highlighted that the city faces a major financial crisis and discussed various agenda items, including the upcoming mayoral election.

What I wrote in the New York Times about Trump's authoritarian plans

Can We Still Govern? • 172 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Services
  1. The stakes are high as Trump aims to transform the American government in an authoritarian direction.
  2. Trump's plan involves appointing loyalists, undermining career civil servants, and leveraging government resources for his personal and political gain.
  3. There is a serious threat to democracy if Trump's authoritarian blueprint succeeds, leading to a weaker government and dismantling of limits on presidential power.

The Other Housing Crisis

Comment is Freed • 114 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Public Services
  1. Housing crisis is a key issue for both Conservative and Labour parties in the upcoming election.
  2. Concern over housing crisis is growing, especially in cities like London, impacting younger professionals.
  3. Focus on housing crisis should also address those who have no hope of owning a home, not just on homeownership and policy interventions.