David S. Reed

If you have a manuscript ready to submit to a peer reviewed journal in Public Administration, I’m willing to give it a collegial review before you submit. Practitioners are especially welcome. I’ll recuse myself if it comes to a journal I edit or review for. #PeerReview #PublicAdministration

Why government software is so expensive. In government, $100 million is not a shocking price tag for a large software project. The question I get all the time about this is, simply: Why?

Blog entry: Why government software is so expensive.

In my experience, there are four major reasons: outsourcing the whole thing, the pricing death spiral, funhouse-mirror price tags, and procurement processes that don't favor quality development.

Great job by Catherine Viette on
@en.france24.com
anchoring special coverage of the war.

One neat trick for buying software that isn’t trash. I have lots to say about how to ensure that major software projects go well, but it all boils down to this: hire people who understand how technology works.

I keep trying to write clever blog entries with Deep Realizations about government tech, while failing to document the simple, fundamental truths that guide my work. So here's one of those fundamental truths: government simply has to hire people who understand how technology works.

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Call for editors | Join the European Journal of International Relations’ editorial team.

Application deadline: 31 March 2026

Learn more: https://ow.ly/3XH050YhlYx
#CallForEditors EJIR

Join us at @nwu.org! Being a freelancer is hard enough, no need to do it without union comrades.

Like the godfather said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

I suggest neither call them out nor ignore it. Tell them what you heard, withholding what you need to protect the source, and tell them you want to understand their concerns about students working with you. It makes them aware trash talk will get back to you, and may give you useful information.

DHS Treatment of Whistleblowers Under Investigation by GAO The review seeks firsthand experiences from Department of Homeland Security whistleblowers from both Trump administrations and the Biden administration.

Calling all DHS #whistleblowers.... Congress's watchdog arm, the Government Accountability Office, wants to hear from you.

@pogo.org SCOOP:

www.pogo.org/investigates...

'...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.' Happy #DarwinDay !

Open Mic @ The Writer’s Center - The Writer's Center Prose, poetry, and spoken word Open Mic @ The Writer’s Center! All writers are welcome to come and share 4-5 minutes of their latest work. Sign-up starts at 6:45pm, and readings begin promptly at 7pm....

I will read my opening statement for a salon on “Is there a moral aesthetic?” (It’s funny!) at The Writers Center in Bethesda on Wednesday, February 11. Show starts 7:00. Come! writer.org/event/open-m...

Link here Detectives Investigate Residential Burglaries in Bethesda.

Detectives Investigate Residential Burglaries in Bethesda.

i can't express just how much better it is to be doing any freelance gig work as part of a union. please drop in, translator friends! feel free to DM me with NWU questions.

For those looking for freelance work in the wake of WaPo layoffs: I'm an editor at large overseeing Ideas & Culture at Bloomberg, including our Books coverage. Find me at skillingswo2@bloomberg.net

2026 Fun-A-Day Showcase — Rhizome DC Sunday February 8 * 2-5pm * $5 suggested * RSVP Showcase exhibit will remain open through February 21. Open during all events, or email us to make an appointment. Come celebrate creativi...

I will read my post-Beat poem, “F. Scott Fitzgerald Be Damned” at the Fun-A-Day Showcase on Sunday February 8 at Rhizome DC. I’m scheduled to read at 3:30. Come! #Fun-A-Day www.rhizomedc.org/new-events/2...

When you paywall an article about how to stay safe in the coming emergency, that does not reflect well on you.

As heavy snow and ice approach, we must all work together to stay safe. Our Montgomery County leaders have created a central portal for sharing the latest winter storm information. Hang tough!

18F blog archive Our blog as it existed before March 1, 2025, covering topics like acquisitions, data, engineering, how we worked, user research, security, and others.

Grateful to blog.18f.org for posting all their all files. I had linked to a piece or two in my syllabus and a student just noticed the old "official" links are all dead... but I've just nicely replaced them with this great archive!

The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) is hiring a Managing Editor!

Apply by 30 Jan:
https://ow.ly/ONWg50XWML8
#ManagingEditor #EditorJobs #ScholarlyPublishing #ETUI

MAGA can't whitewash what happened on January 6, 2021 because of the uncontradicted J6 Report and because the insurrectionists themselves photographed and videotaped their crimes.

We’ll continue to tell the story of how brave police officers defended the Capitol against Trump’s rampaging mob.

I just updated my spreadsheet of crime-related papers published in top economics journals:

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

I highly recommend watching this segment, not just because the CBS News execs and the White House didn’t want you to, but because these men were tortured and they deserved to have their voices heard.

The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5

Automatically Verify and Correct the Reference Citations in a Paper Peer reviewers and journal editors have a new tool to automatically check the references in manuscripts, developed by Jennifer Kleiman at the University of Georgia. You copy the list of references …

New tool from Jennifer Kleiman automatically verifies the citations in a paper. #PeerReview pubadmin.org/2025/12/08/a...

💡Academic survival tip 8: Rigor is non-negotiable.

"The importance of your research does not lie in the grandeur of your conclusions, but in the rigor of your methodology."
(via @david-reed.bsky.social)

The importance of your research does not lie in the grandeur of your conclusions, but in the rigor of your methodology.

Join the big friendly crowd at NO KINGS in North Bethesda. We’re on Rockville Pike in front of Strathmore.

#NoKings

NO KINGS North Bethesda · No Kings **In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.** Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Bo...

I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS North Bethesda” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...