politics Archives - Startup Economist

Washington’s Blueprint for Public-Private Innovation for Washington Startups

Thursday, 09 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

A coalition reimagines the role of cities, universities, and entrepreneurs in shaping the future of downtown Washington D.C. and Washington startups. Just north of the White House, where K Street bends toward Dupont Circle and the stately facades of Farragut meet the hum of D.C.’s intellectual life, something quietly revolutionary is taking shape. The Penn

Regional Collapse We Keep Pretending Isn’t Happening

Thursday, 07 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Something’s gone wrong in the way we structure governance; so wrong that it’s now normalized for elected leaders to turn to govern through coercion rather than consensus So wrong that the people who actually build and sustain the economy (workers, founders, educators, families) are often the last ones consulted about how that economy is governed.

economic development governance government politics public policy regulation

A Prius in Austin, TX

Wednesday, 01 June 2011 by Paul O'Brien

Having been in Austin for about 6 months now, there’s one irrefutable fact that everyone in Austin acknowledges with a cock-eyed smile; Californians love Austin, perhaps too much. More than that, Steiner Ranch (the neighborhood in which we settled) seems to be the magnet for relocations from the Sunshine State. One of those transplants myself,

austin california community culture education entrepreneurship politics real estate steiner ranch texas