Can we identify the key policy questions and details that impact so many areas of our daily lives and our futures? Which ones matter? And how will they play out?
Sadly, policy exists in layers both visible and obscured that require time and experience to follow. Those who are closely engaged and know well the rules of the game make decisions for us. How accountable are they? It should make us all uneasy.
Can I somehow make it easier for you, my reader, to gain a different or fuller perspective on a particular topic? Or can I help you to formulate the questions left unanswered? Can we build a framework of mental models that makes policy topics easier to understand in relation to each other? After all, everything is hinged one to the other. Nothing exists in isolation.
I launched Colorado Policy Pathways in late 2018 to explore current public policy topics in Colorado that affect our economy, our small independent businesses, and our workforce. I believe it is critically important that we keep the space open to adapt to rapidly changing environments and respond to individuals in their unique contexts.
Law and policy can either support or hinder those conditions.
Diana Petrak, Founder
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.
Yogi Berra
In practice there is.
Once implemented, laws change the rules of the game. Unfortunately, some of the best-intentioned and carefully crafted policies deliver unpleasant surprises and secondary consequences.
My best days are spent engaging with those who must implement these policies. Particularly our small independent businesses. I explore implications and consequences that may or may not materialize. Can we identify and mitigate the risks before we set a policy into motion, unleashing countless forces into the economy? Can we stretch our thinking and see more or better alternatives?
I have deep respect for complexity and the startling pace of change. I often ask how we can make ourselves more poised to face random events and future change that can not now be known.
This is a second act for me. As a former business owner and employer in the travel industry and as the wife of an entrepreneur supporting manufacturers in the automotive industry, I acknowledge I look through the lens of independent businesses. I also watch the future as a mom and member of my community. Life is messy. For all of us. And fortune is fickle. But I believe we can and must always try to learn and do better – together.
That conviction and my curiosity drive my pursuit, researching and understanding public policy from many perspectives.
Communicating these ideas simply, without sacrificing what is critical to understand, is a skill I am working to build. I invite you to visit and engage as I navigate these topics that are so important to our future and our families.