Thanksgiving and the Revitalization of American Community
By Stephen Jordan As we gather around tables this Thanksgiving, we're participating in a time-honored celebration of community in the United States today. Being together, appreciating the many blessings that we have been given - and not taking them for granted – are part of what bind us together, not just as families or friends or neighbors, but as Americans. However, by some indicators, the fabric of our communities is coming apart. Do you know that only 26% of Americans
6 min read
Let’s Rethink Giving to Disaster Relief
With Giving Tuesday coming up December 2, it’s a good moment to have a conversation about donations to communities hit hard by natural disasters. The rush to raise money after a natural disaster is dramatic and necessary. Search and rescue, relief, and crisis management are critically important. But there is no such urgency to support long-term recovery . Unfortunately for many families, that’s the disaster after the disaster. Long after the camera lights have turned off, peo
3 min read
Why Not Focus on Community Continuity and Continuous Resilience?
By Stephen Jordan I had an interesting conversation today with a senior corporate executive. As we wrapped up, she said something that made me realize we really need to clarify that the Institute for Sustainable Development is trying to break through with new concepts that the current frame of talking about community shocks and stresses doesn't take into account: “It’s a shame you focus so much on disasters.” At ISD, we actually don’t. Our mission is grounded in the opp
4 min read
The Synthetic Shift: How AI and Robotics Are Rewiring the Emerging Silicon Economy
By H. Bruce May, October 25, 2025 (As posted on LinkedIn) We are moving from a labor-based economy to an innovation economy where corporations receive government funding based on the amount and quality of the services they provide, to other businesses, to the government, and to citizens who have been removed from the synthetic labor pool. Introduction We are not merely automating tasks; we are automating the very concept of labor. As AI and robotics scale across industries,
11 min read
How the DMV Is Responding to the Economic Shock of the Federal Shutdown: Spotlight on Northern Virginia
With the downsizing of the federal government and the current shutdown, the Washington DC metro area is going through a significant shock. What is happening in this area is similar to the economic costs of a major hurricane or tornado. The DMV as it is colloquially known, is home to about 750,000 federal and federal-dependent jobs. Federal employment alone accounts for roughly 15-20% of the region's jobs. Mass layoffs across federal, private, and nonprofit sectors surged 139%
4 min read
The Impact of AI on Jobs: Differentiation and Diversification Good, Short-Term Displacement Bad
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, sparking debates about job displacement and creation. There is a lot of...
4 min read
