How Do We Fix It?

Dr. Michael Shermer is our guest; he's the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American and a regular contributor to Time.com.In his latest book, “The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom,” Dr. Shermer discusses how science, reason, and rational inquiry contribute to human progress and history. He claims that we are living in the most moral period of our species’ historyUsing data, and lessons from history, Michael shows that the arc of the moral universe bends toward truth, justice, and freedom.When considering right and wrong, "most people separate scientific facts - facts about nature - from moral facts," says Michael in this episode of our podcast, "How Do We Fix It?" "I'm pushing back against that saying moral truths are really no different from biological or physical truths about nature."We consider the profound implications of his ideas for how we look at science, religion, politics, climate change, prison reform and our own moral choices. More information about Michael and his books are available on our website: http://www.howdowefixit.me/

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The U.S. spends more than $3 trillion a year on healthcare, or nearly $10,000 a year for every man, woman and child. But are we getting a bang for our buck? In many cases, the answer has to be no. And this goes well beyond the raging debate over Obamacare and whether all Americans should have access to coverage.About a third of money spent on healthcare is now simply wasted or spent on poor decisions, says our guest, emergency room physician and entrepreneur, Doctor Joe Habboushe. The crisis includes clinical waste, excessive prices, fraud and bureaucracy.Dr. Habboushe shares his moving personal story and passion for reducing waste and improving patient outcomes through his work as a physician and as CEO of MDCalc - an online diagnostic app used by about 50% of American doctors."Let's not get rid of what we do really well and that's drive innovation for the world," says Dr. Joe. "If we focus on waste, we have to look at why healthcare costs a lot and if we want to reduce that how can we do it in a way that doesn't damage our system.Solutions:- Greater use of technology to help doctors improve decision-making.- Take a careful look at how much money, and intense care, is spent on the final months of life. In some cases, doctors and hospitals profit from treatment - Government and taxpayers need to continue funding research that leads to potential drugs and breakthrough treatments.- Allow pharmaceutical companies to profit from new drugs and medical treatments that benefit patients.- Patients: Be better informed about successful medicine, which doesn't always mean a pill for every ailment.

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This show is about the benefits adults, especially business owners, can get from playing games. This year's huge success of Pokemon Go helped bring gamification and augmented reality into the mainstream - with many small businesses using the mobile app to raise engagement with consumers. Dan Grech, OfferCraft, tells us how governments, businesses, and even parents use games to boost participation and change behavior.Dan Grech is a former journalist who works for OfferCraft, a Florida company that designs games for companies and other clients. "You can incorporate games into business settings in really small and subtle ways that aren't necessarily expensive and can generate extraordinary results" says Dan. Solutions with games:Governments use games and behavioral economics insights to reduce speeding or increase voter turnout. In China, the government introduced lottery scratch-off games to cut tax evasion.Businesses offer prizes and rewards to excite consumers and boost engagement Doctors’ offices and healthcare clinics may reduce income loss from last-minute cancellations with games and prizes for patients who show up. Parents can use games, such as ChoreMonster, to get kids and other family members to do household chores.

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Anyone who cares about diversity, feminism and closing the gender gap should be fired up about this show.Author, entrepreneur and - yes provocateur - Sallie Krawcheck is our guest.  Her forthcoming 2017 book is "Own It: The Power of Women at Work."  Sallie is CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest, a digital investment platform and wealth management site for women.  For years, she has been well known as one of the most senior women on Wall Street and was called "the last honest analyst" by Fortune Magazine after the 2008 financial crisis.  She has deep experience in "the biggest boys club in the world" - the financial industry, where 86% of investment advisers are men.First off we talk about why the Trump Presidency could be good for feminists.  “It’s (locker room talk) on the table now,"  she says. The infamous conversation with Billie Bush, and the widely discussed New York Times column "How Wall Street Bro Talk Keeps Women Down" are both "a really important wake up call."Sallie lists the many benefits of true diversity. Organizations where many different voices are respected perform better than those with narrow like-minded leaders from the same gender and social class. Being successful does not mean acting like men, Sallie tells us. "The power of diversity is not bringing a bunch of women or people of difference together and having them act like middle-aged white guys."Sallie’s Solutions: - For women: Make sure your work gets noticed your supervisors and make sure goals are quantified and acknowledged. - For men: Be a fully equal partner with your spouse: do the laundry.- For companies: Diversity is a crucial ingredient to a firm's success, but it won't happen without clear leadership from the top. - Investing: Diversify your portfolio and save for the long term. Instead of trying to beat the market, invest in a range of mutual funds that include U.S. and international sources plus large and small companies.

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We recorded this the day after the stunning U.S. Presidential election.  This show is our attempt to explain the reasons for Donald Trump's win.Despite his deeply divisive rhetoric and attacks on Muslims and undocumented Mexican immigrants that deeply offended many voters, Trump emerged victorious. We examine why Trump won the election but also solutions and takeaways from his surprise victory.Solutions:Let’s come up with a list of things we can agree on. Congress should meet before the new Administration takes office and discuss bipartisan reform on prison reform, business regulation, taxes and trade.Americans who are deeply distressed by the election can commit themselves to constructive change where they live, volunteering at improving and rebuilding the public square. 

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Almost all of us do a poor job of predicting the future.  This show looks at how we can adapt to the disruption and change the future inevitably brings.  Using examples from business and our personal lives, we consider how to be smarter and more successful."You can't really imagine what it's going to be like should a bad thing happen," says our guest, Mark Earls. "We over-estimate how bad we might feel if we lose something, and under-estimate how we might feel if something good happens to us."Mark joins Jim and Richard at our living room table in New York. Usually Mark is based in London where he's a well-known author and consultant on marketing, communications and behavioral change.  His books include “Copy Copy Copy”, "HERD: How to Change Mass Behavior by Harnessing Our True Nature” and “I’ll Have What She’s Having”"We have to realize…we have to prepare for multiple futures," Mark tells us in this episode. Some additional takeaways:Solutions:Start small. For example Spotify began in a small market (Sweden) and it was able to be more agile, make mistakes and react to its competition more effectively than a larger company. Product plus: some of the most successful companies are the ones that make a product AND deliver service; Dollar Shave Club is a good example of this. Customer service is more important than ever. “You can’t have that ‘take a ticket and wait in line’ attitude towards customers; you need to fix it. In our personal lives prepare for multiple future scenarios: what would happen if you had an unexpected expense, how would you deal with a serious illness or a absence from work, or a major housing expense?

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"There are genuine emotional benefits when we connect with strangers," says our guest, Kio Stark. These fleeting interactions are important interruptions in the steady routine of our lives. "They bring connectedness and belonging."Kio is the author of "When Strangers Meet: How People You Don't Know Can Transform You." Her popular TED Talk has received more than 1,450,000 views. "My own interactions with strangers resonate with meaning for me," she writes in her book. "You find questions whose answers you thought you knew. You reject the ideas that make us so suspicious of each other."Kio explains why and how anyone - including introverts and those who are fearful of strangers - can benefit from allowing these brief encounters into their lives. For instance dogs and babies can make it easier to speak with people you don't know, Kio explains why."There's an amazing power in being seen. We live in cities we don't see each other," Kio tells us. "When you are seen, when you notice someone is acknowledging you it's a momentary bond."

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Do you believe you can make a difference?  What improvements to the world have been made by nonprofit organizations?  What lessons have been learnt by philanthropists about delivering services and furthering their cause?

These and many more questions are answered here by our guest, Jennifer McCrea.  She's a leading global expert on giving and fundraising.  Jennifer works to transform the practice of philanthropy She discusses her important work with the Born Free Africa collaborative, which works for the eradication of mother-to-child transmission of H.I.V.

"While of course we have to get money moving in support of the work we are doing," Jennifer tells us, "it's not about money at the center of the relationship."

In her course at Harvard University, Jennifer has worked with leaders from the nonprofit and social enterprise sectors to improve their organizations results from fundraising.

"I keep the work itself at the center of the relationship and money just becomes the gas that goes in the car."  Philanthropists need to avoid "a begging bowl mentality," she says.

Solutions:
- Philanthropic groups need to be collaborative, working in concert with other organizations in their space. 
- Transparency and learning from those who these groups are trying to help should be part of their DNA. 
- For those of us who give money to nonprofits, sign up for more than donations. Be part of their cause. Monitor their mission.

- In our personal lives, when someone needs our help, listen openly and don’t always try to fix their problems.

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The news media have bombarded us with stories about the candidates, the contest and - to a lesser extent - the crucial issues America faces as people vote for the next President.

This podcast is about the voters.

We went back to four past episodes of "How Do We Fix It?" pulling extracts about how we make decisions and why the information that you and I receive from internet search engines and other sources may be radically different than the news and views our friends and neighbors are hearing.  

On episode 24 podcast host and author David McRaney told us "we are not so smart," using confirmation bias as a defining example. "It would do us all good to actually think what are we wrong about," said David, who argues in favor of challenging our own personal biases. "Whenever you have an understanding of something, create an alternate explanation."

Psychologist Robert Epstein joined us on episode 11 to discuss whether Google is too powerful for our democracy. The former Editor-in-Chief of "Psychology Today" has done extensive research on Google's search rankings and algorithms. "There is a problem is the monopoly in search" that Google holds in most of the world, Robert said. "They're customizing what people see." 

Search rankings can have a big influence on how people vote. We are not getting challenged by ideas that we haven't heard before.

Joan Blades of Living Room Conversations aims to bring people together.  A progressive herself, Joan has engaged with evangelical conservatives and leaders of the tea party in lively, but respectful dialog about climate change, criminal justice reform and other questions. 

"We've become increasingly divided," Joan told us on episode 43. "We don't even share the same facts." Joan explained some of the ground rules of having conversations with those you disagree with. 

This brief "Fix It Shorts" podcast also features John Gable of AllSides. This news website puts stories from different sources next to each other -  columns from left, right and center-leaning news newspapers and online sites. 

"We want people to be able to see quickly the differences," John said in episode 49. "What we started doing with All Sides is breaking that filter bubble."

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“Vision Zero” is the highly ambitious plan put in place two years ago by New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio. The goal: no traffic deaths by 2024. 

America's largest city is nowhere near reducing fatal crashes to zero, but great progress has been made since 1990.  "The good news is that we've gone from 701 deaths back then to an average of 245 deaths a year under the de Blasio Administration," says urban economics and transportation researcher Nicole Gelinas in this "Fix It" episode.

Nicole is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. She writes for City Journal, The Washington Post, LA Times and a bunch of other publications.

In this show we look at why so many pedestrians and bicycle riders are killed on the streets of U.S. cities and what we can learn from safety initiatives in Sweden and elsewhere.

The bad news is that New York is far safer than almost every other American city. 

"You're three times more like to be killed in Atlanta whether you're in a car or walking - and you're two times more likely to be killed in LA," says Nicole.

We also learn the lessons of the Times Square traffic and pedestrian redevelopment initiative and why it turned critics into fans.  During our show Nicole Gelinas unpacks surprising research on the pros and cons of wearing bicycle helmets on busy urban streets. 

Solutions:

• Data shows that redesigning streets to slow down and calm traffic is the best way to prevent injuries and deaths.
  
• Lower speed limits, especially in dense urban areas.
• Invest in a comprehensive mass transit system, which will reduce crashes and improves the quality of life for city residents.
• The old adage, safety in numbers is true when it comes to biking in traffic: bicyclists are safer when they ride in a group.
• Cyclists should always wear lights to make themselves as visible as possible to motorists. 

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