Million-Dollar MurrayWhy problems like homelessness may be easier to solve than to manage.

http://stophomelessness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/million-dollar-murray1.pdf

Discusses research by Dennis Culhane and others that indicates that homelessness follows the same pattern-i.e. that a small number of chronic homeless people cause the largest drain on social services. The homeless problem, like the bad-cop problem, is a matter of a few hard cases… Tells about the work of Philip Mangano, the director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. He has convinced more than two hundred cities to change their policies for dealing with the homeless. Tells about a program in Denver that provides subsidized efficiency apartments for homeless people until they can stabilize and find jobs. The problem with this solution is that it seems unfair to people who work two or three jobs to pay for their own apartments… Writer discusses another example of the power law distribution in the way that auto emissions are regulated. Most cars, especially new ones, are extraordinarily clean, but a small number are not. In Denver 5% of vehicles produce 55% of the pollution. Donald Stedman, an emissions expert at the University of Denver suggests replacing the mandatory emissions testing for all vehicles with a team of mobile inspection vans that would more effectively identify the worst polluters. Like the L.A.P.D., the problem is less about the laws than about compliance with them. Power-law solutions have little appeal to the right because they involve special treatment for people who do not deserve it and little appeal to the left because of the emphasis on efficiency over fairness…