Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Democracy Comes to Michigan

    David Byrne

    March 21, 2022 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Michigan

    A grassroots campaign ended gerrymandering in Michigan by passing an initiative requiring districts be drawn by citizen-commissions rather than politicians. The all-volunteer campaign went door-to-door collecting enough signatures to get the initiative on the ballot and used creative voter-engagement techniques to sustain the support. Once the ballot initiative passed, 9,300 people applied for the first commission. A third-party firm ultimately selected four Democrats, four Republicans, and five non-partisan people as commissioners, who worked together very well to redraw districts.

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  • From 30 Million Cases to Zero

    David Byrne

    August 27, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: China

    China’s path to officially eliminating malaria began in the 1950s when a scientist in a government-funded program discovered the ancient Chinese herb Wormwood had been used to treat symptoms for centuries and went on to make the world’s top treatment. Effective coordination across many agencies, treating stagnant water, and widespread use of insecticide nets also limited cases. Today China uses the “1-3-7” method where local agencies are told of any likely case within one day, the case is confirmed within three days, and measures are taken to treat the patient and prevent further spread within seven days.

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  • Keeping People Out of Jail Keeps People Out of Jail

    David Byrne

    July 12, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

    When prosecutors in Boston and Baltimore stopped prosecuting certain non-violent, minor offenses, crime of all sorts, from minor to violent, went down. Getting prosecuted and jailed can in itself increase the probability that people will get in more trouble. When their mistakes are not compounded by an arrest record that limits their job and housing prospects, they are apt to stay out of trouble. The prosecutors and research found that simply excluding cases of non-violent, minor drug possession, disorderly conduct, shoplifting from the system does not encourage more crime; probably the opposite.

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  • We Can Eliminate Child Poverty

    David Byrne

    March 19, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, North Carolina

    Cash payments have proven to be effective in decreasing child poverty rates. Eastern Cherokee families in North Carolina receive bi-annual casino profits which have led to multiple positive outcomes that were not shared by other families living nearby. In Canada, national poverty rates dropped by 20 percent after the introduction of the Canada Child Benefit which provides cash to families depending on their income.

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  • Cops and Hippies

    David Byrne

    February 26, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

    The CAHOOTS program, which sends medics and counselors on certain 911 calls instead of the police, has become a national model in the wake of 2020's criminal-justice protests. But its roots reach back half a century, when a free medical clinic serving the hippie counterculture emerged as a public-health response to drug, mental health, and other non-violent emergencies. CAHOOTS has grown into a 24/7 service that saves Eugene millions in policing and medical spending, and saves many on the streets from unnecessarily punitive interactions with the police.

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  • We Know How to Fix Student Debt

    David Byrne

    July 31, 2020 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    A study found that students without debt ended up with a higher income than students with debt, an overall benefit to the larger economy. In the U.S., "44.7 million American adults are saddled with student debt totaling $1.6 trillion.” This article explores what other countries like Germany, New Zealand, and South Korea, among others have done to lower the cost of university tuition and thus student debt.

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  • Can We All Be Like Texas?

    David Byrne

    April 27, 2020 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Georgetown, Texas

    West Texas, traditionally known for its oil business, has become a thriving home for wind energy. Beyond political ideology, wind power as a form of renewable energy is thriving for economic reasons, as it can be more profitable in the long run. In Texas, tax incentives and legislation helped develop the industry, and the proliferation of wind power is being replicated in places like Wyoming and Oregon.

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  • Changing Behavior: Economic Incentives

    David Byrne

    October 23, 2019 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Mexico

    Cities across the world are learning that a tax on sugary drinks can help to shift purchasing habits and reduce the risks of health problems such as diabetes, heart attacks, and stroke. As a Boulder council member explained, modifying the behavior of consumers is possible when you "tax the behavior you don’t want and use the money to encourage behavior you do."

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  • Everybody Needs a Home

    David Byrne

    September 25, 2019 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    The Housing First model proposes finding homes for the unhoused without requiring employment, stability, or sobriety in order to qualify. Getting people off the street first and then helping them stay there through various services has been shown to be a successful approach to alleviating homelessness. Proponents of the model argue that having housing provides a foundation that allows people to remain sober, take medications, work, and function - all of which is more difficult to do consistently when sleeping on the streets or in a shelter.

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  • Can We Change Our Behavior or are We Stuck?

    David Byrne

    August 14, 2019 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Australia, Melbourne

    When Melbourne, Australia came close to running out of water in 2008, the water utility conducted a behavioral study to launch an effective communications campaign aimed at reducing water usage among city residents. Along with the effective advertising campaign, the city distributed water-efficient shower heads, offered rebates to people who bought water-efficient machines, and used other "nudge" techniques like telling people how much water they used in relation to neighbors.

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