Latest News

• Former Philly Schools Super's Unemployment Claim Denied
• SOURCE: GOVERNING | Dylan Scott | Feb. 3, 2012

• Nevada Governor Staying Out of GOP Endorsement Game
• SOURCE: GOVERNING | The Associated Press | Feb. 3, 2012

• Ron Paul: States Should Resolve Land Management Issues
• SOURCE: GOVERNING | The Associated Press | Feb. 3, 2012

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• Why Has Indiana Spent Thousands Lobbying for Keystone Oil Pipeline?
• SOURCE: Indianapolis Star | Feb. 3, 2012

• Obama Seeks $5B to Help Hire Veterans
• SOURCE: Bloomberg BusinessWeek | Feb. 3, 2012

• Exodus from North Carolina Legislature Grows
• SOURCE: Raleigh News & Observer | Feb. 3, 2012

• Obama Boosts Offshore Wind-Farm Plans
• SOURCE: USA Today | Feb. 3, 2012

• High Stakes, Power Struggles as Oregon Legislature Takes up Governor's Health Reforms
• SOURCE: Oregonian | Feb. 3, 2012

• GovDeals.com Offers Bargains While Helping Agencies
• SOURCE: Tennessean | Feb. 3, 2012

Daily Digit

Idea Center

• Univ. of Vermont is Latest to Ban Plastic Water Bottles
• Hoping to save money and the environment, a dozen colleges have stopped selling bottled water on campus.
• By: Caroline Cournoyer | February 2, 2012

• Maryland Considering Incentives for Work in ‘Health Enterprise Zones’
• The idea of offering financial incentives to boost services in select areas is common for economic development -- but rarely used to improve health care.
• By: Caroline Cournoyer | January 30, 2012

• New York City Uses ARRA Funds for Hybrid Street Sweepers
• They’re expected to improve the city’s finances and carbon footprint.
• By: Caroline Cournoyer | January 26, 2012

• Minneapolis Uses Foursquare to Share Tips with Citizens
• The city aims to promote its services and programs with people who check-in around the city.
• By: Caroline Cournoyer | January 23, 2012

• EPA Quiz Gives Answers for Financing Green Projects
• The “Financing Program Decision Tool” shows state and local governments their best options for paying for energy upgrades.
• By: Caroline Cournoyer | January 19, 2012

Training Opportunities

• Best Practices for Government Analytics: Set goals, drive accountabilty and improve outcomes
• Government agencies are more pressed than ever to find new ways to improve—and report on—their performance and outcomes. Learn the best practices for using analytics in state and local government.

 

 

Webinar: Cutting the Cost of Government: Cloud Computing, Worker Mobility, and Technology Innovation

Papers: Open for Business: Leveraging Open Government to Improve Agency Operations

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Latest Blog Posts

• 
• States Face Crucial Choices Over Essential Health Benefits
• States must decide what to use as a benchmark for their health insurance exchanges, but dissimilarities among plan benefits and costs cause concerns. …
• View | February 3, 2012

• 
• Top Economists Doubt Further Jobless Rate Drop
• Economists issue their 2012 forecast for the nation's unemployment rate, a key issue in the November elections. …
• By the Numbers | February 3, 2012

• 
• Support for House Transportation Bill Eroding
• Committee threatens future of transit's dedicated funding stream. …
• FedWatch | February 2, 2012

• 
• Can Fiscal Sanity Be Mandated?
• California may be about to find out, if an initiative that’s breathtaking in scope gets onto the ballot.…
• Better, Faster, Cheaper | February 2, 2012

• 
• Putting Results First
• Done properly, cost/benefit analysis can help governments make better decisions.…
• Better, Faster, Cheaper | February 1, 2012

Columns

• 
• The Cost-Benefit Imperative
• A group of states is adapting a successful model to target scarce funds for the greatest return on investment.
• BY: Susan K. Urahn | February 1, 2012

• 
• 'Constraints Management' Breaks Down Barriers to Efficiency
• Government efficiency initiatives come and go. But Utah has had continued success with one in particular.
• BY: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene | January 31, 2012

• 
• Cities Give Google Cloud-Based Email Mixed Reviews
• Some cities have switched to the cloud with ease, but Los Angeles, for example, had to abandon it because of outdated security policies.
• BY: Steve Towns | January 31, 2012

• 
• Government Cloud Computing May Sustain Public Records
• The fate of Data.gov, which housed hundreds of thousands of public data when its funding got cut, may contain the outlines of a model for sustaining digital records.
• BY: Paul W. Taylor | January 31, 2012

• 
• The Plastic Bag Ban: A Battle of Socio-Economic Policy
• This latest skirmish shows how localities, not the feds, are driving eco-policy.
• BY: Donald F. Kettl | January 31, 2012