Policy & Practice February 2015

The impacts of technological advance and increased connectivity require amore responsive body of laws.Wemust legislate more consistentlyand rapidly tomeet accelerating change, butwewill have tofindaway todo it in today’s political environment.

see a related trend of adjusting cur- ricula to teaching specific skills for the current work environment. This move away from a general liberal arts edu- cation reflects the growing aversion to accumulating large amounts of student loan debt in the face of higher education costs and less employment stability. After decades of engaging in preparatory education followed by fairly stable careers we must ask: Can we adjust to lives of learning, unlearning, and relearning in an economy that changes exponentially faster than any that have preceded it? Discussing dramatic change and its consequences can seem like an exercise in doom and gloom. Most people have become increasingly frustrated with trying to comprehend the meanings of the change going on around us all. The orientation for so many people has become short-term, as evidenced by a focus on quarterly profits, elections over governance, spending rather than saving, and so on. It is imperative that human service professionals resist this trend, and develop a powerful under- standing of possible alternative futures and resilience in the face of complex change. Only by being prepared to communicate ideas, raise awareness, and develop visions aimed at the best possible outcomes can we accomplish the job of aiding and protecting the vulnerable population among us. To adapt the quote that I began with, “The challenge is already here, it just isn’t easily engaged …” Let’s work together toward better futures.

societal economic setbacks. The con- tinued increase in single parenthood raises similar concerns for children. These changes have a political dimen- sion as well as an economic one. The current U.S. political system is as divided and unproductive as it has ever been since the Civil War era. Less legislation is becoming law, appoint- ments are taking longer, and emphasis has moved to a permanent campaign cycle. Due to the 10-year census cycle, redistricting occurs very rarely, further slowing possible changes in the partisan balance. Pundits often refer to the need for a post-partisan environment or a spirit of compromise. Can public policy planning wait for the current climate to improve, or must we plan based upon the current political context? Unfortunately, the impacts of technological advance and increased connectivity require a more respon- sive body of laws. We must legislate more consistently and rapidly to meet accelerating change, but we will have to find a way to do it in today’s political environment. The problem of a legal system developed for earlier economies in the face of accelerated change paral- lels our education system. Our model for education evolved from vocational training to a primarily college and graduate school emphasis. We’re now moving toward individuals acquiring more task-specific, perish- able skills carried from ”gig to gig,” with potentially less permanent, full- time employment. As the number of liberal arts colleges that have either closed or been absorbed into larger institutions continues to increase, we

Boomers are looking ahead to longer, healthier lives and, especially fol- lowing the crises of the last decade, are concerned about their ability to afford getting older and retiring from work. Further, as the older population grows, there will have to be a reck- oning. Eventually, for Social Security and Medicare to be viable, payroll tax rates or the number of workers paying in to the programs will need to increase or, alternatively, benefits or eligibility will have to be more restricted. Will the generations become divided, or even combative, if economic uncertainty or outright upheavals continue? The younger adult generations (Generation X and the Millennial or Generation Y) have very different concerns for the future. They are far more diverse ethnically and racially, are more liberal overall, and gener- ally more collaborative and supportive of government and public policy programs. They have entered onto the economic stage during this mass restructuring. As a result, delays in achieving economic stability have led many to not achieve other milestones, such as marriage, home ownership, or full employment. These life stage events often provide stability, scale, and far greater chances for positive economic and professional outcomes. The single-person household is the fastest growing in the United States. When there is no second income or extended support structure, it is not hard to see that much larger numbers of people need access to human services in the face of individual or

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