Do high-profile city experiments shape national views of public services more than evidence from successful local programs?

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Yes. High-profile city experiments often shape national opinion more than quieter evidence from successful local programs, because they are easier to dramatize, easier to label, and more visible to voters who do not follow policy research closely. That dynamic is visible in the debate around New York City’s planned city-backed grocery stores. The proposal is nationally recognizable because it is novel, symbolic, and tied to a major city mayor with a large media profile. Supporters frame it as a response to food insecurity and high prices; critics argue it could distort thin-margin local grocery markets and crowd out small businesses. Even before results are available, the idea is already influencing broader perceptions of what public-service expansion means. By contrast, proven local programs often have stronger evidence but far less political reach. Baltimore’s Safe Streets violence-intervention model is one example: cited research found significant reductions in shootings, and newer studies linked it to lower youth homicides and nonfatal shootings. Yet such programs rarely define national attitudes in the way a controversial, highly publicized urban experiment can. Public opinion data suggests the picture is not simply anti-government. Surveys included in the background material show Americans often distrust “government” in the abstract while viewing specific agencies, public servants, and many tax-funded services more favorably. That means evidence can matter when people …

Andy Harris Says 3 New York DSA Wins Push Democrats Beyond Socialism

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Andy Harris Says 3 New York DSA Wins Push Democrats Beyond Socialism

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