ABSTRACT
PUBLIC HEALTH ;Australia is establishing a Centre for Disease Control (CDC), joining the majority of advanced countries in having a national health agency. Australia's states and territories will retain responsibility for public health;the new CDC is meant to provide nationwide surveillance of disease outbreaks and help improve coordination, "something that was sorely lacking during COVID", says Ben Marais, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Sydney. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
In the spring of 2020, the global coronavirus pandemic brought deadly disease to New Mexico, a state already struggling with inadequate health care, vulnerable populations and an unreliable state revenue base. A strong executive and mostly willing legislature met multiple times in multiple special sessions to reduce budgets, allocate federal funds, and shore up public finances. They also had to deal with social and cultural fights aggravated by strict public health orders and plunging revenues. By the close of 2020, the state was slowly regaining its fiscal footing and physical health, though the underlying problems of inadequate health care, educational and economic inequality, and a budget overly reliant on extractive industries remain. As a result of the 2020 general election, the public officials chosen to resolve these issues are more likely to be progressive Democrats, more likely to be women, and more demographically reflective of the majority-minority state they call home.
ABSTRACT
Threatening economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on Utah's economy proved to be short-lived, due in part to early budget cuts, federal economic relief, and an expanding economy that out-performed expectations. Subsequently, FY22 provided the Utah Legislature opportunities to invest in education, infrastructure, and social services. Legislators also used this opportunity to cut taxes for veterans, the elderly population, and families. As the state's population continues to grow at record rates, Utah decisionmakers must grapple with rising housing prices and record-high rental rates. This report highlights specific challenges and opportunities Utah faced through negotiating a record-high budget of $25.6 billion and provides an overview of Utah's economy and changing demographic makeup.
ABSTRACT
The Department of Defense (DOD) needs to re-institutionalize horizon scanning for strategic shock and integrate this perspective into its strategy, plans, and risk assessment. Defense-relevant strategic shocks are disruptive, transformational events for DOD. Though their precise origin and nature are uncertain, strategic shocks often emerge from clear trends. Shocks are often recognized in advance on some level but are nonetheless shocking because they are largely ignored.
ABSTRACT
Blockchain technology is a contemporary phenomenon that brings new perspectives to a diversity of fields that can benefit from its characteristics of transparency and reliability. The purpose of this thesis is to explore some potential applications of this technology within the Brazilian Navy's (BN) supply chain management and budget control processes, contributing to a more efficient public administration. Through case studies, the thesis aims to unpack the complexity of blockchain applications, explore U.S. Department of Defense and industry application patterns, collect data related to successful implementations of this technology, and analyze the possibility of its implementation for the BN. There are certain limitations to its application, such as the relative immaturity of this technology and paucity of case studies in Brazil, and a lack of regulation regarding blockchain adoption in Brazil. Overall, this study suggests a pilot program to integrate the BN logistics and budget control systems on a blockchain platform to better manage multi-party transactions and support the decision-making process. The objective is to render the BN savings in time and dollars, permitting the optimization of warfighter support. On the side of the budgetary system, it would help automate cost estimates, track specific projects' expenses, identify the actual allocation of funds, and provide a trustable historical record.