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The Abstract
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> By Torie Ludwin, Arnold Ventures
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Arnold Ventures was conceived thirteen years ago with an audacious goal: to tackle some of the most pressing problems in America. How the Arnolds have chosen to go about it sets the organization apart among its compatriots in philanthropy.
“We created an organization that tried to mirror our values — understanding what works from an evidence perspective,” said Laura Arnold in her recent talk with Professor Esther Duflo, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Duflo, a Nobel laureate in Economics, sat down with Arnold as part of a ten-year anniversary celebration of the North American office of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), where Duflo is also a co-director.
Evidence is a term that gets tossed around more frequently than researchers particularly like (perhaps the same way the word “luxury” is used in the sale of virtually any product — don’t get me started). Many organizations in social impact say they’re supported by evidence, and yet for research professionals, evidence implies an evaluative track record with deep consideration to the level of rigor, design, control, and transparent reporting.
The Arnolds are interested in emphasizing the latter in the field of philanthropy. To create lasting change, they knew they wanted to invest in areas not only where they saw a market imbalance — be it political, economic, or systemic in nature — but also where research and evidence could help define the problem as well as help point to a solution.
Foundational components of Arnold Ventures’ analysis and process, said Arnold in her talk, were the following questions: “What do we know? What do we know about the problem? And what do we know to be true?” The honesty and humility of asking these questions, the effort to meticulously research, and the rigorous work of driving towards greater clarity shapes how Arnold Ventures moves, step by step, in its work.
As is clear from our years of giving, evidence is the beating heart that fuels how we do what we do.
Hear Laura Arnold explain how Arnold Ventures approaches its philanthropic work, its analytical starting point, and the ways research and evidence underpin its efforts.
Watch our video>
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Amendments to Federal Sentencing Guidelines in Effect
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By Thomas Hanna, communications manager
Newly enacted amendments to federal sentencing guidelines seek to reduce unnecessary incarceration while preserving community safety.
What's Happening: This week, amendments to federal sentencing guidelines went into effect. These evidence-based amendments, which were adopted by the U.S. Sentencing Commission this past spring, provide standardized guidance for judges who are considering compassionate release cases enabled by the First Step Act. They also reduce recommended sentences for people with no or minimal prior justice system involvement.
Why It Matters: Evidence and experience suggest that releasing people who have been abused in prison, who are serving excessive sentences, or who are sick and elderly can be done safely and without imperiling community safety. These amendments have the potential to positively affect people’s lives as well as reduce the social and financial costs of incarceration.
What’s Next: Advocates and experts anticipate that these amendments will safely decrease the federal prison population and reduce racial disparities in sentencing.
Read our statement>
Related: Federal Sentencing Commission Advances Meaningful Criminal Justice Reforms
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Finding the Best Plan for
Dual-Eligible Enrollees
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(Photo from our series on dual-eligible women Melissa and Ann)
By Evan Mintz, director of communications
During Medicare’s open enrollment season, many Americans can have 100 or more health coverage options to choose from, but an online tool intended to help navigate this maze isn’t always connecting people with the best options.
What’s Happening: A special kind of Medicare Advantage plan, called a dual-eligible special needs plan (D-SNP) was created specifically for the 12 million Americans who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Unfortunately, Medicare’s online tool, Plan Finder, doesn’t prioritize these plans, and the value of enrolling isn’t made clear to those who would truly benefit.
Why It Matters: If dual-eligible people don’t sign up for the D-SNP plan, it could be harder for them to get the services they want and need. Failure to prioritize D-SNP means dual-eligible enrollees may find themselves signing up for plans that provide services already covered through state Medicaid, such as dental or transportation. They could miss out on actual supplemental services provided by D-SNP, such as meals or additional in-home support services.
What’s Next: Arnold Ventures has joined other organizations in submitting a letter that recommends the federal government improve the Plan Finder online tool. “We make it way too hard for people,” said Arielle Mir, vice president of Arnold Venture’s Complex Care team. “We really need to improve Plan Finder and other sources of information to ensure people can make informed decisions about their health insurance coverage.”
Read our letter and story>
Related: AV Policy Focus: Medicare-Medicaid Integration
Related: Melissa & Ann: Navigating America's Health Care Safety Net
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Criminal Justice
- In an op-ed published by The Crime Report, Miriam Aroni Krinsky, Ryan Gentzler, and Michaela Bono from Fair and Just Prosecution make the case that prosecutor offices around the country should be investing in data collection and transparency to improve effectiveness, equity, and community safety.
- In The Atlantic, Lenore Anderson, president and cofounder of the Alliance For Safety and Justice, discusses how crime victims rarely receive support from the justice system and how they often prefer rehabilitation and reform over tough on crime approaches like increased incarceration.
- The Marshall Project published a story on how police in Denver, Colorado, are addressing community violence by focusing resources on solving nonfatal shooting cases. The department’s experience shows “that when detectives have the time, resources and commitment, they can resolve most shootings.”
Health Care
- Want to know how have states been tackling high drug prices? The National Academy for State Health Policy just published its wrap-up for 2023.
- For more state-level action, Community Catalyst launched a State Policy Compendium on policies aimed at
cutting hospital prices and reducing medical debt.
- The Private Equity Stakeholder Project released a blog post on the recent federal lawsuit against a private equity firm for
consolidating Texas anesthesiology practices and driving up prices.
- FamiliesUSA published a helpful explainer on Big Pharma’s lawsuits to end Medicare’s drug price negotiations.
- While large hospital chains claim they’re in financial jeopardy, a blog post by the Purchaser Business Group on Health documents how they’re spending on corporate consolidation while being stingy with charity care.
Higher Education
Infrastructure
- Norway is rethinking electric vehicles as a solution to climate change, Vox reports.
- Rising costs have led to the cancellation of a massive New Jersey offshore wind project, according to Politico’s E&E News.
- In The Atlantic, Jerusalem Demsas takes a look at how green-energy projects get quashed by local opposition.
- On the flip side, The Texas Tribune reports on the growing trend of agrivoltaics, which has ranchers combining sheep with solar panels.
Democracy
- Thanks in part to gerrymandering, more than 80 percent of Mississippi’s incumbent state legislative candidates are basically running uncontested in the November election, the Associated Press reports.
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If you missed Arnold Ventures Executive Vice President Mark E. Miller at the Washington Post Live’s event on the Future of America’s Health Care, you can watch a recording here. Miller talks about how hospital consolidation and a lack of transparency are working to drive up health care prices for consumers, and how Congress can start to address the problem by passing site-neutral legislation. |
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Produced by WBEZ, Vocalo Radio, and Illinois Public Radio, Prisoncast! is an audio project that connects incarcerated people and their loved ones. The show broadcasts music, messages, and discussions on public radio stations throughout Illinois. Listen to the most recent show here, in part about atonement and forgiveness as well as commissary prices; mark your calendars for a special holiday episode on December 17. |
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On Wednesday, November 8, from 5-7 p.m. ET, Punchbowl News in partnership with The Network and Arnold Ventures will host “The New Power Players” at the Royal Sonesta Washington, D.C. The event will feature a one-on-one interview with Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Anna Palmer, founder and CEO of Punchbowl News. Arnold Ventures’ President and CEO Kelli Rhee and Vice President of Higher Education Kelly McManus will also take the stage to discuss AV’s work to reform higher education and more. Find out more information and register here. |
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A former golf course in Akron, Ohio, has been rewilded. CNN talks with Ohio’s Mike Johnson, the chief of conservation for Summit Metro Parks, on the project as part of its “ Call to Earth” video series. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains in a short video how the organization and its partners restored nearly 60 acres of habitat and 5,000 feet of river shoreline.
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Have an evidence-based week,
– Torie
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| Torie Ludwin leads strategic branding efforts across digital, print, and multimedia, including this delightful newsletter. |
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