Big Money for Good Ideas
September 25, 2006
A response we received to a recent post turned us on to an intriguing website that may be of interest to other GCA.com readers. The site, SinceSlicedBread.com (SSB), was founded because--as the site asserts--today’s elected officials have failed to deliver the bold thinking that is demanded by the new globalized economy of the 21st century. In an effort to "[change] the way Washington works," SSB provides an open forum for the discussion of policy ideas to strengthen the U.S. economy and improve the day-to-day lives of its citizens.
Created by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the SSB project may seem an unlikely investment for organized labor. But the SEIU, headed by a fascinating figure named Andy Stern (see Stern’s 60 Minutes profile), is not a typical labor union. An iconoclast within the world of organized labor, Stern blends an Ivy League education with a blue collar mentality. In 2005, he left his position as a leader in the AFL-CIO after more than 10 years, walking away with 6 million members--40% of the union’s enrollment--because he believed the organization was too wrapped up in politics and not focusing on the problems that face its constituents. Stern is accepting, if not inviting, of the effects of globalization--a force long and ardently resisted by labor movements. He is willing to work with big business as a partner instead of against them as an adversary. He is always willing to consider a new perspective, and he’s looking for more.
Recognizing the historical role of monetary incentives as the most powerful driver of innovation, Stern and the SEIU have put up $1.1 million in prize money for the best ideas. Out of more than 22,000 ideas, SSB visitors and a panel of influential and well-respected public policy experts selected one grand prize winner and twenty runners-up. Some of the entries are just amusing (federal prohibition on all private transportation, or scratch and sniff clothing to revitalize the U.S. textile industry), but many are genuinely creative and thought-provoking (a DoD-sponsored Civil Works Corps, or a recasting of the Earned Income Tax Credit).
Sadly, the competition has concluded for this year. But the site still offers some interesting perspectives and a place for discussion of topics ranging from energy to health care. For those interested in new ideas for the public sector, SSB is worth a look.
As for the future, it is still up in the air. While the SEIU is still "serious about wanting to change the way policy ideas emerge," it has not yet been determined where the SSB project will go from here. True to form, they are currently collecting ideas from their readers.
Thoughts or reactions? Please send them to us.