In this episode, Patrick McKenzie (patio11) is joined by Dave Kasten, to discuss their experiences building VaccinateCA, a charitable effort that collected, collated, and distributed vaccine distribution information during the COVID-19 pandemic. (If you Googled for the vaccine, the search results likely came from VaccinateCA’s data.) They cover the challenges of rapidly scaling a volunteer-driven organization, the lessons learned about public health infrastructure, the intricacies of interfacing with government bureaucracy, and reasons to be cautiously optimistic about tech/government collaboration.

Expanding on a theme from recent episodes (see: Casey Handmer), Dave and Patrick cover the stark differences between government and tech sector’s approach to problem-solving. They offer insights into the often-misunderstood world of government operations, the individuals who make it function, and the "scar tissue" of regulations that can both protect and hinder progress.

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Full transcript available here: https://www.complexsystemspodcast.com/episodes/tech-government-dave-kasten/

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Sponsors: WorkOS | Check 

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Links:

The Story of VaccinateCA, Works in Progress https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-story-of-vaccinateca/

https://davekasten.substack.com/ 

https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/ 

Complex Systems episode ft. Kelsey Piper (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/episode/33rHTZVowaq76tCTaKJfRB 

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Twitter:

@patio11

@David_Kasten

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Timestamps:

(00:00 ) Intro

(00:23 ) Dave Kasten’s unique career path

(01:37 ) The beginning of VaccinateCA

(03:09 ) Early challenges and volunteer efforts

(07:24 ) Volunteer coordination and call center operations

(10:55 ) Navigating policies and procedures

(14:33 ) Navigating policies and prioritization

(21:00 ) Adapting to volunteer feedback

(22:50 ) Sponsors: WorkOS | Check

(25:07 ) Public reception and media involvement

(35:40 ) Government and institutional responses

(45:59 ) Differences between tech and government approaches

(47:52 ) Challenges in pandemic information dissemination

(49:10 ) Accuracy and information systems

(53:43 ) Government and agile development

(56:51 ) Bureaucratic constraints and historical practices

(01:08:55 ) Government workforce and technological challenges

(01:22:34 ) The importance of policy engagement

(01:33:42 ) Wrap

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Complex Systems is part of the Turpentine podcast network.