New Year is the time when both individuals and governments declare new goals and ambitions. Remarkably, 2024 will be a record year for elections with over 50 scheduled presidential, government and regional elections in countries around the world including many in its largest democracies. Electors in the US, the UK, the EU, and many Asian countries including India and the Philippines have the chance to set new directions for their nations.

Robert Puentes best said it in his article in January 2015, originally published in the Washington Examiner and subsequently published in Brookings (2023) Rotten Roads, Bum Economy:

I recently had a productive visit to Tampere University in Finland, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Finland Fulbright Foundation. The contacts at Tampere University that facilitated this research visit were made possible by the PASCAL network of associates. I thank Mike Osborne for these introductions

I have been writing Policies for Places now for just about 1 year. It began as a ‘twixmas’ activity at the end of December 2022. Since then I have posted some 25 pieces on a range of topics of current relevance to making better places. In doing so I have been much encouraged by the steadily growing number of you who have read these and have found them interesting enough to subscribe.