In Latest Edition of THE RIPON FORUM, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves Discusses how his Nation Went from Being a Soviet State to One of the Most Innovative Democracies in the World

Centrist Republican journal also features Darrell Issa essay on his efforts to bring America’s analog government into the digital age, and a profile of Republican rising star Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada

WASHINGTON, DC — When people talk about the next Silicon Valley, they often mention places such as Seattle, Austin, or perhaps the Research Triangle surrounding Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. And yet according to many technology experts, the next Silicon Valley is not in America at all. It’s in Estonia, where a former Radio Free Europe journalist who was raised in New Jersey and educated in the Ivy League has helped turn the former Soviet state into one of the most innovative democracies in the world.

His name is Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Serving his second term as Estonia’s President, he spoke with THE RIPON FORUM recently about his efforts to transform the small Baltic nation into a major high-tech powerhouse. His comments are featured in the latest edition of the centrist Republican journal of political thought and opinion, which was published today.

Also featured in the latest edition of the FORUM is an essay by Congressman Darrell Issa, a former high-tech entrepreneur who serves as Chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee and writes about federal inefficiency and his efforts to bring America’s analog government into the digital age.

In addition to the Issa essay and Ilves Q&A, the latest edition of THE RIPON FORUM also includes:

• Scholar and author Vivek Wadhwa — writing about the connection between innovation and immigrant entrepreneurs and how, because of our outdated visa laws, the U.S. is letting this incredible source of talent slip away.
•  Northwestern Law Professor John McGinniss – writing about “Accelerating Democracy,” and how the power of computers can be used to better predict the impact of policy decisions down the road.
•  Policy analyst Madeleine Sumption of the Migration Policy Institute – writing about the economic benefits of citizenship and its implications in the current immigration reform debate.
• Auburn University Professor Joe A. Sumners – writing about rural economic development and a program in Alabama that could serve as a model for other communities to follow nationwide.
• RIPON FORUM Deputy Editor Jarrad Hensley — writing about “Harnessing the Hispanic Impact” and the positive contributions made by those who enter the United States legally.

<style=”mso-fareast-font-family: calibri;=”” mso-fareast-theme-font:=”” minor-latin;=”” color:=”” black;=”” mso-ansi-language:=”” en-us;=”” mso-fareast-language:=”” mso-bidi-language:=”” ar-sa”=””>
The latest edition of the FORUM also includes coverage of “Beyond the 47%,” a panel discussion that was held recently at The Ripon Society’s 3rd Annual Legislative and Communications Directors Symposium on Leadership at Mount Vernon and featured Alex Castellanos, Mark McKinnon, and other Republican communications professionals talking about the changing American electorate and the need to broaden the base of the GOP. Also featured in the latest edition of the quarterly policy journal is a profile of Republican rising star, Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada.

THE RIPON FORUM is published by The Ripon Society, a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.

WASHINGTON, DC — When people talk about the next Silicon Valley, they often mention places such as Seattle, Austin, or perhaps the Research Triangle surrounding Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. And yet according to many technology experts, the next Silicon Valley is not in America at all. It’s in Estonia, where a former Radio Free Europe journalist who was raised in New Jersey and educated in the Ivy League has helped turn the former Soviet state into one of the most innovative democracies in the world.

His name is Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Serving his second term as Estonia’s President, he spoke with THE RIPON FORUM recently about his efforts to transform the small Baltic nation into a major high-tech powerhouse. His comments are featured in the latest edition of the centrist Republican journal of political thought and opinion, which was published today.

Also featured in the latest edition of the FORUM is an essay by Congressman Darrell Issa, a former high-tech entrepreneur who serves as Chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee and writes about federal inefficiency and his efforts to bring America’s analog government into the digital age.

In addition to the Issa essay and Ilves Q&A, the latest edition of THE RIPON FORUM also includes:

• Scholar and author Vivek Wadhwa — writing about the connection between innovation and immigrant entrepreneurs and how, because of our outdated visa laws, the U.S. is letting this incredible source of talent slip away.
•  Northwestern Law Professor John McGinniss – writing about “Accelerating Democracy,” and how the power of computers can be used to better predict the impact of policy decisions down the road.
•  Policy analyst Madeleine Sumption of the Migration Policy Institute – writing about the economic benefits of citizenship and its implications in the current immigration reform debate.
• Auburn University Professor Joe A. Sumners – writing about rural economic development and a program in Alabama that could serve as a model for other communities to follow nationwide.
• RIPON FORUM Deputy Editor Jarrad Hensley — writing about “Harnessing the Hispanic Impact” and the positive contributions made by those who enter the United States legally.

<style=”mso-fareast-font-family: calibri;=”” mso-fareast-theme-font:=”” minor-latin;=”” color:=”” black;=”” mso-ansi-language:=”” en-us;=”” mso-fareast-language:=”” mso-bidi-language:=”” ar-sa”=””>
The latest edition of the FORUM also includes coverage of “Beyond the 47%,” a panel discussion that was held recently at The Ripon Society’s 3rd Annual Legislative and Communications Directors Symposium on Leadership at Mount Vernon and featured Alex Castellanos, Mark McKinnon, and other Republican communications professionals talking about the changing American electorate and the need to broaden the base of the GOP. Also featured in the latest edition of the quarterly policy journal is a profile of Republican rising star, Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada.

THE RIPON FORUM is published by The Ripon Society, a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.