December 9, 2014
The Feds Introduce a Program for Disconnected Youth
The federal government is seeking to partner with states and localities to help the more than 5 million young adults out of school and work.
November 11, 2014
Delaware Revamps Family Services
The division avoided a top-down approach and let front-line workers help shape the overhaul.
October 14, 2014
Cuts to Child Welfare Force States to Spend Smarter
Several states are piloting programs to develop cost-effective strategies in helping disconnected youth.
September 9, 2014
A New Direction in the War on Poverty
Wisconsin GOP Rep. Paul Ryan's antipoverty plan may be worth considering.
August 12, 2014
Young and Old Find Common Ground in Oregon Housing Community
At Bridge Meadows, a special housing development in Portland, troubled foster children and elders live side by side.
August 1, 2014
Pushing the Community Reinvestment Act into Uncharted Territory
A handful of communities are putting CRA funds toward more than just housing projects.
July 15, 2014
Affordable Housing Leads to Smarter Kids
A new study finds a link between how much families spend on housing and children's intellectual ability.
July 1, 2014
Governments Struggling to Get Social Media Right
Social media is the ultimate government transparency, which is why public officials need to not only get used to it but also get good at it. Here’s how.
June 10, 2014
Ohio's Bad Idea for Boosting Welfare-to-Work
Without any thought to unintended consequences, Ohio legislators have created a damaging pay-for-performance welfare-to-work program.
May 13, 2014
The Toughest Job in Government
Even when improving the lives of others, the people running departments of children and families can’t escape controversy.
May 1, 2014
How Britain's Getting Public Policy Down to a Science
Britain has a bold yet simple plan to do something few U.S. governments do: test the effectiveness of multiple policies before rolling them out. But are American lawmakers willing to listen to facts more than money or politics?
April 28, 2014
Richard Ravitch: How Budgets Really Work
The former New York lieutenant governor has 50 years of budget experience. Here's how it really works.
April 8, 2014
What's It Like to Work at the Department of Children's Services?
Tennessee asked caseworkers this and more in what is believed to be the nation's first survey of state child protection workers.
April 1, 2014
Renewable Energy Requirements Get a Second Wind
Conservatives were out in force last year trying to roll back requirements for some states to use alternative energy. They failed. Does that mean attitudes on green power are changing?
March 11, 2014
A ‘Wraparound’ System of Care for Schools
Several school systems are implementing so-called wraparound programs in an effort to help troubled kids, families and communities.
February 11, 2014
The Importance of Reinvesting Savings in Preventative Programs
Too often, governments simply take savings from successful human services programs and inject them into the general fund. But that's a dangerous practice.
February 1, 2014
States Reinvest in Once-Abandoned Freight Lines
In the past year, several states have either created or rekindled grant programs dedicated to improving freight service.
January 14, 2014
Pay for Success Programs Will be Front and Center in 2014
Human services departments are looking for new and creative ways to fund programs.
November 13, 2013
Coordinating Foster Care Across the 3 Branches of Government
A new initiative in about a dozen states plans to improve the coordination of child services between the administrative, legislative and judicial branches.
October 8, 2013
Are We Overmedicating Foster Care Children?
A new GAO report finds that states don't do a particularly effective job of monitoring kids on psychotropic meds.
September 10, 2013
Welfare's Not a Work Issue, It's a Wage Issue
A new conservative report claims welfare benefits disincentivizes people to work. Federal data, however, suggests that's not the case.
September 1, 2013
New York Offers Volunteer Firefighters a Place to Retire
Since 1895, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York has operated a home for volunteer firefighters. It’s the only home of its kind in the country.
August 13, 2013
Agencies Taking a Second Look at Kinship Care
In many children and families agencies, placing foster care children with their relatives was previously taboo.
August 1, 2013
Why Critics of State and Federal Workplace Safety Systems Might be Right
The fatal explosion earlier this year at a Texas fertilizer plant that hadn’t been inspected since 1985 brought attention to the nation’s dysfunctional and ineffective system of keeping employees -- both in the public and private sectors -- safe.
July 16, 2013
Is Jailing Deadbeat Dads Effective?
A new trend in the human services field suggests it isn't. Instead of punishing noncustodial parents, officials are trying to help them find and keep jobs.
June 11, 2013
When Child Services and the Media Work Together
The Colorado Department of Human Services and The Denver Post prove that the relationship between government and media doesn't have to be adversarial.
May 14, 2013
Blunting the Politics of Public Assistance
An initiative in six states seeks to stabilize the health and well-being of low-income families.
April 11, 2013
Social Services: How to Get Out from Under Federal Oversight
Children and family services agencies under federal oversight need to focus on what's best for families and kids -- not just on what's mandated.
March 29, 2013
Flood-Prone Cities Try Disaster Planning on Their Own
Some places aren’t waiting for another Sandy. They're taking matters into their own hands. But what’s best for one city may not be best for the region.
February 28, 2013
Management Fads That Make a Difference
New management tools are a dime a dozen and often just old strategies with fancy new names. But a few do make measurable differences.
February 14, 2013
How Health Reform Could Improve Outcomes in Child Welfare
If human services officials want to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act, they need to get involved in its implementation now.
January 29, 2013
New York Gov. Cuomo's Pension Proposal Puzzling
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to let municipalities short their pension payments for the next quarter century uses fuzzy math, writes Governing's Jonathan Walters.
January 15, 2013
Measuring Developmental Disabilities Services' Success
The National Core Indicators project helps states target human services spending to practices that work.
December 28, 2012
Poverty Among Seniors Getting Harder to Ignore
The gap between what seniors need to live on versus what they have might land squarely on state and local governments.
December 11, 2012
Social Services’ Challenge of Sharing Data
It takes leadership to implement the type of IT systems that would make human services more efficient and effective.
November 13, 2012
Performance-Based Contracting Comes to Human Services
After years of avoiding it, human services professionals are starting to get hard-nosed about where they invest.
October 9, 2012
The Politics of Children and Family Services
A toxic election cycle in Indiana has ended in the resignation of the state's director of children services.
September 28, 2012
Boomers Want Control of Their End-of-Life Care
A state-level movement has evolved to give terminally ill patients more say in what medicine and medical procedures they want during their final days. View our special series on aging in America at governing.com/generations.
September 11, 2012
Social Services in an Emergency
Two New York state social services directors found a way to help clients even in the midst of a natural disaster.
August 31, 2012
Are Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports Useless?
For all their charts and graphs, CAFRs don’t tell public officials -- or the public -- anything about fiscal sustainability or whether a locality’s finances might be trending south.
August 14, 2012
A Team Approach to Child Services
The decision of where to place a child should be made by everyone in that child's support system.
July 31, 2012
4 Health and Human Services Officials Worth Watching
Administering services to vulnerable populations is hard work. But tough public-sector jobs have a way of attracting top talent.
July 10, 2012
Human Services Gets Its Advocacy Group Back
New leadership and energy at the American Public Human Services Association promises to deliver much-need support and expertise.
June 12, 2012
Are States, Cities Ready for a Wave of Veterans?
Human services officials have a lot of work to do to prepare for the return of war vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.
May 9, 2012
Helping Foster Kids Transition to Adulthood
A much-needed study will evaluate the merits of transitional living programs.
April 10, 2012
Cooperative Federalism Meets Human Services
A better relationship between the feds, states and localities equals better outcomes.
March 30, 2012
Are Cities' Pledges to End Homelessness Working?
Though the number of homeless has increased since numerous pledges were made in the early 2000s to end it, some progress has been made on the nation's understanding of the phenomenon.
March 13, 2012
Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested?
While sensible arguments in favor of it can be made, they ultimately don't hold up to scrutiny.
February 14, 2012
Getting Food Stamps
The lack of research on participation rates make it hard to find best practices.
January 31, 2012
Old Architecture Buildings Pit Preservation vs. Progress
A new generation of old structures is raising fresh questions about the rehabbing of architectural gems.
January 10, 2012
Making Data on Kids Count
What does the data collected by children and family advocates tell us about where to invest in kids?
December 13, 2011
Judicious Reform
Three veteran judges are tacking big reforms at children and family services departments in three states.
November 8, 2011
Human Services by the Batch
Task-based processing systems, instead of traditional case management, could help human services offices process claims faster.
October 11, 2011
Budget Cuts Hit Talented Social Services Team
Crucial staff and money-saving strategies that have helped kids in jeopardy have been -- or are in danger of being -- eliminated.
September 13, 2011
TANF at 15
On its anniversary and coming off another bad jobs report, a review of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is needed now more than ever.
August 31, 2011
Policing in the Post-9/11 Era
In America’s largest Arab community, police are pioneering a new way to fight terrorism by strengthening neighborhood ties. Plus, more 9/11 coverage.
August 31, 2011
The Price of Medical Illiteracy
Not understanding what doctors say is costly for patients' health and for health care itself.
August 9, 2011
Human Services Meets Capitalism
One state is hoping investors will happily plop down money for social service programs.
July 12, 2011
Underinvesting in Children
Cuts targeting poverty-fighting programs will come back to haunt us.
June 30, 2011
Rewriting State Retirement Plans
States are putting limits on their pension plans and retiree benefits, usually calling for employees to pay more toward their future.
June 14, 2011
'Catalytic' Change
An experiment by Annie E. Casey Foundation staff in children and family services agencies is improving these organization's performance.
May 10, 2011
The Human Services IT Opportunity
The health-care reform bill is full of very scary news -- and great opportunities -- for states and localities.
April 29, 2011
Nonprofits Seek Relief and Support from States
Nonprofits deliver crucial health and human services to the most vulnerable populations, but state budget constraints are endangering their operations.
April 12, 2011
Punishing Social Workers
When a child is hurt, punishment seems to be the go-to response. But pursuing that direction has serious consequences.
March 31, 2011
Implementing Electronic Health Records in Doctors' Offices
For e-health records to work, physicians need to be brought online.
March 8, 2011
Auditing Health and Human Services
As state and local human services departments pinch pennies, they'll also be looking to cinch fraud.
February 28, 2011
Peer Assistance Review Helps Teachers in Toledo
When it comes to easing inept teachers out of the classroom, Toledo has been charting the way.
February 28, 2011
Peer Assistance Review Helps Teachers in Toledo
When it comes to easing inept teachers out of the classroom, Toledo has been charting the way.
February 9, 2011
Establishing a True 'No Wrong Door' Approach to Human Services
To reach all their clients, state human services officials say technology and less rules and regulations are key.
February 1, 2011
Are State Efficiency Commissions Effective?
Why are some state efficiency commissions helpful in streamlining government and others an expensive waste of time?
January 11, 2011
Investing in Families Using Data
The smartest investment a state can make is in its children and families. The best way to do that is through results-based government.
January 10, 2011
Firefighting Through a Performance Management Lens
Executive Editor Jonathan Walters sheds light onto how he approached his January feature on cuts to fire departments as journalist and as a volunteer firefighter.
January 1, 2011
Firefighters Feel the Squeeze of Shrinking Budgets
In small and large cities alike, firefighters have gone from heroes to
budget bait.
January 1, 2011
4 Ways to Rethink the Firefighting Game
Former president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Jeff Johnson shares his thoughts on the firefighting game.
December 14, 2010
Back to School: Performance Measurement Workshops
There is value in all-day workshops beyond tuning up one's performance measurement game. Worshops offer a rare opportunity for those in the human services business to rub elbows and compare notes.
November 9, 2010
Registering the Homeless
Once a system starts getting to know more about its homeless population, it's much easier to develop targeted, strategic interventions.
November 1, 2010
Maintaining Political Balance Through Redistricting
Bringing truth, light and perhaps even fairness to redistricting.
October 12, 2010
Poverty's New Population
Within the past year, the struggling middle class has given in and applied for everything from food stamps, to energy assistance, to help paying rent.
October 1, 2010
The Politics Behind Not Levying Personal Income Taxes
In the nine states that don’t levy a personal income tax, the politics of staying that course remains powerful.
Human Services and the Media
It may be difficult but human services departments should be doggedly trying to establish relationships with editors, reporters and bloggers.
September 1, 2010
Beating Poverty With Cash Incentives
A new way to help the poor become self-sufficient raises hackles at both ends of the political spectrum -- and questions about effectiveness.
September 1, 2010
Impressive Outcomes from Mexico’s Cash-to-Poor-Families Program
According to the Oportunidades' website, direct cash payments to Mexican families and children had significant and positive affects as shown in these interim outcome measures.
September 1, 2010
The Oakland Project: Paying-the-Poor Program Relies on Self-Sufficiency
One of the newest entrants in the CCT sweepstakes is the Family Independence Initiative (FII), which is currently operating in Oakland, Calif., San Francisco and Hawaii, and is starting a fourth pilot in Boston.
Economy Down, Need Up
When the economy is down and government funds are scarce, the need for assistance often goes up. Rainy day funds and increased efficiencies could help provide more when some have less.
July 30, 2010
FEMA: Making a Comeback
An invigorated FEMA is on the comeback trail. Do the federal agency's local partners see any progress?
Asking for Help in the Wake of Disaster
Down hundreds of staff members post-Katrina, the Louisiana Office of Community Services could have tapped a little known agreement outside emergency management circles for help.
June 30, 2010
Gutting the Clean Water Act
Wetlands can protect cities from floods, but it's no longer clear which wetlands the Act protects.
Minnesota's Two-Way Street
The state's counties are unanimous: If the state simplifies social services rules and regulations, counties will redesign its systems to be more efficient.
June 1, 2010
Computing Performance
More governments are turning to technology to help them budget and manage for results.
Disruptive Innovators
To take on the status quo in social services and education, people must be behind the innovative steps outlined in a new book.
May 1, 2010
Preventing Government PR Disasters
Agencies caught in the eye of a scandal need a pre-plan for defusing the storm of media attention.
When It All Goes Wrong
It's typical for child welfare officials to suddenly change course when tragedy strikes, but quick fixes come with a price.
March 31, 2010
Policing the Police
Though troubling, the recently leaked video of a Springfield, Mass., police officer beating an apparently helpless suspect with a metal flashlight while three other officers...
The Right Way to Fight Fraud
Health care fraud costs Americans $100 billion a year, but fighting it is a tricky proposition.
March 1, 2010
Using Performance to Deliver Promises
Call it the great intergovernmental camera caper. Although it might not have involved millions of dollars in spending, it did illustrate the sometimes absurd consequences...
The Transformative Power of Comparison
Performance measurement shouldn't be used to punish one group and celebrate another, but to improve everyone's performance.
Accountability Comes to Human Services
After years of resistance, evidence-based practices have arrived in the health and human services communities.
December 8, 2009
When Privatization Becomes a Problem
Indiana had to cut its 10-year welfare-privatization contract short, showing that there is no silver-bullet for improving human services.
A New Kind of 'Customer' for Social Services
They will be taking a much more active role and managing their own services, thinks one expert.
October 31, 2009
Performance Auditing: Beyond 'Gotcha!'
It's been about five years since Washington State Auditor Brian Sonntag announced the launch of his ambitious effort to bring a new style of performance...
In Louisiana, Hope for At-Risk Kids
The 49th-ranked state has a long way to go. But there are hopeful signs.
September 30, 2009
Hydrofracking for Natural Gas - Worth the Risk?
Learn why hydrofracking is important to Russia and the Middle East for accessing reserves of natural gas a mile-deep.
September 30, 2009
For Unions, Tough Bargaining Times
This summer, St. Petersburg, Florida, Mayor Rick Baker declared a fiscal emergency. He wanted to reopen a union contract and put the brakes on scheduled 2010...
Welfare: Accountability vs. Flexibility
As Congress fashions a new law, will it address a badly skewed federal-state relationship?
August 31, 2009
Lean Legacy
The deal seemed too good to pass up or to ever undo: Iowa would create "charter agencies" and give them unprecedented freedom and flexibility to...
Reforming in a Whirlwind
A new book on how a troubled agency was turned around is a testimony to perseverance and determination.
July 31, 2009
Iowa's Lean Initiatives
While charter agencies may have disappeared in Iowa, the spirit of charters lives on in the state's "lean" initiative. According to John Baldwin, head of...
May 31, 2009
Investing in Outcomes
While pondering how to help people recovering from a mental illness, Elise Sanford, a photographer and mental health advocate in Athens, Ohio, had a hunch:...
May 31, 2009
'Creaming' Clients
There is a consistent concern with performance-based contracting in education, physical and mental health, and social services: Providers will want to sign up only those...
April 30, 2009
Risky Business
In 2006, Georgia's information technology systems were a borderline mess. No one was a harsher critic than the man in charge of them. "Our business model...
March 31, 2009
O Citizen, Where Art Thou?
Bev Stein remembers with dismay the public budget hearing that marked her debut as the chief elected executive in Multnomah County, Oregon. Although it happened...
January 31, 2009
The Millennial in the Cubicle
It takes a single-minded sense of purpose for a government worker to rack up 349,170 Web-site visits during work hours over five months. That sense of...
November 30, 2008
Novices with the Numbers
In his first job out of graduate school, Will Barnow practices performance measurement every day. Barnow works in the Maricopa County Office of Justice Systems...
Responding to Child Abuse
In 2002, North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services overhauled its policies and practices to find new ways of responding to child-neglect reports, and five years later, those changes appear to be paying off in Durham County.
FEMA Falls into Array
We haven't heard a lot about botched disaster response this year. There's a reason for that.
September 30, 2008
Stat Governor
Martin O'Malley, the governor of Maryland, thought his question was reasonably straightforward. He was meeting with state parole and probation managers, and O'Malley wanted to...
Water Wars and Peace
The Great Lakes states and provinces sign on to protect their greatest resource -- and need only a rubber stamp from the feds.
August 31, 2008
Turning the Lottery Loose
With Virginia struggling to pay for such pressing priorities as transportation and education and the legislature exhibiting its traditional lack of appetite for raising taxes,...
Real ID and Reality
States can fume about the federal identification law -- or they can find ways to cope with it.
May 31, 2008
Focusing on Accountability
By the time Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell left office in 2000 -- riding a bribery and tax-evasion scandal out the door and into federal prison --...
Transportation Tug-of-War
The nation's roads and bridges urgently need attention. The question is who can best provide it.
April 30, 2008
A Tower of Tiers
Starting next July, public employees hired in the state of Kansas will be second-class citizens, in a way. They will have to pay more into...
March 31, 2008
Benchmarking Livability
When Oregon launched its statewide performance measurement initiative called "Oregon Benchmarks" back in 1989, the whole effort took a considerable amount of explaining. At the time,...
Energy Land Grab
The feds want to run utility corridors right through state and local turf -- without asking permission.
January 31, 2008
Is Welfare Working?
Twelve years ago, Bill Clinton and the U.S. Congress ended "welfare as we know it." Gone was the idea of an open-ended entitlement for...
Subprime Performance
It's not that someone was asleep at the switch on mortgage lending. It's that everyone was.
November 1, 2007
Negotiator-In-Chief
To say that Christine Gregoire's start as governor of Washington was inauspicious would be an understatement. After an apparent 130-vote win in November 2004, the election was marred by multiple recounts and a lawsuit. When the Democratic majority in the legislature moved to certify her election, Republicans mustered on the front lawn of the statehouse chanting, "Revote! Revote!"
Delayed Conversation
The feds don't spend much time hashing out mutual problems with states and localities. It's time they started.
October 1, 2007
Visual Effects
Using graphics to present performance data can help make the case for
policy or budget changes.
September 30, 2007
Getting the Public's Attention
When it comes to public-sector performance measures, collecting and verifying data are hard enough. Then comes the challenge of trying to actually get the attention...
Privatizers' Predicament
States face a Congress increasingly hostile to outsourcing.
August 31, 2007
The Struggle to Streamline
Texas' first foray into a high-profile streamlining of social and health services delivery paid off impressively: In 1993, the Lone Star state won an Innovations in...
August 1, 2007
Clear Connection
A high-tech partnership is driving down crime in Chicago.
July 31, 2007
Data on the Beat
You get lied to a lot out there," says Brian Joseph Tierney, a burly beat cop with the Chicago Police Department. Tierney is referring to...
July 1, 2007
The Fine Art of Reporting Results
A growing number of localities are experimenting with alternatives to
annual financial reports to inform citizens about government
performance.
Pills of Protest
High drug prices are pushing some states to take radical action.
Bordering on Disaster
A national immigration policy requires a level of collaboration that
none of the major players is willing to risk.
May 31, 2007
Dollars and Results
In the late 1990s, as an alderman in Somerville, Massachusetts, Joseph Curtatone was perpetually frustrated by the budgets his local legislature was supposed to be...
Watered-Down TEA
This is supposed to be the era of enlightened federal transportation policy. Sometimes you have to wonder.
April 30, 2007
The Disability Dilemma
When it comes to the growing costs of government, one thing particularly rankles Dean Rich, the finance director for O'Fallon, Illinois: two police officers claiming...
March 31, 2007
Citizen Surveys
With the city of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, facing a quarter of a million dollar revenue shortfall, as well as a continuing and contentious political dispute...
SCHIP and Beyond
The children's health program is a model for what broader health care initiatives ought to look like.
February 28, 2007
Courting Talent
Last year, the City of Boston needed help, and a lot of it. Its top management team was suddenly full of holes. In the space...
January 31, 2007
Paying for Promises
Call it the six stages of GASB 45: anger, denial, sorrow, acceptance, study and action. That's been the general response to a new set of governmental...
Minimum Impact
A $7.25 minimum wage means a lot politically. It just doesn't mean much economically.
November 1, 2006
Across-The-Board Innovator
No issue is beyond his realm of interest.
November 1, 2006
Troubled Waters
Offshore oil drilling sounds like a bonanza to some state interests--
and a nightmare to others.
October 1, 2006
Scrutiny by the People
Washington State is making a big push to get citizens more involved in
the performance auditing process.
September 30, 2006
Auditing Performance
In the ongoing debate over which came first, government opacity or citizen apathy, there are two basic schools of thought: One side argues that citizens...
Fiscal Candor
A new report tells governments something they need to know--but would
rather not hear.
July 31, 2006
Reporting Results
In Rich Siegel's view, there isn't a more over-rated document in state and local government than the comprehensive annual financial report -- "CAFR" in public...
Bordering on Disaster
A national immigration policy requires a level of collaboration that
none of the major players is willing to risk.
June 1, 2006
Solidarity Forgotten
What started as a rift in the AFL-CIO has intensified into a fervent
contest between the public employee unions over new recruits.
June 1, 2006
Rivals with a Cause
Comparing local government practices and performance among neighboring
communities is rare but rewarding.
May 31, 2006
Benchmarking
In the late 1990s, Hickory, North Carolina, was flunking Pothole Patching 101. "Pothole patching is a big deal to citizens," says Karen Hurley, a city budget...
Tax-Break Tango
The fight over public subsidies to corporations is nearing a crucial
decision in the U.S. Supreme Court.
April 1, 2006
Toil and Trouble
Illegal immigrants working as day laborers present one of the
toughest, most divisive issues to land on local government's doorstep
in recent years.
April 1, 2006
Tracking Team
When citizens take to the streets, they learn more than just where
problems are; they learn whose job it is to fix them.
March 31, 2006
Neighborhood Eyes and Ears
If the physical condition of a neighborhood is a significant indicator of its overall health, then few cities in the country are taking the measure...
March 1, 2006
Rational Readiness
An effective anti-terrorism program demands tough decisions about
where to spend the money.
Stressed Responders
Federal disaster money doesn't help much unless governments get
together on how to use it.
December 1, 2005
The Katrina Breakdown
Coordination and communication problems between levels of government
must be addressed before the next disaster strikes.
November 1, 2005
Thomas Frieden, MD
Data-Driven Doc.
November 1, 2005
Jerry Luke LeBlanc
Performance Artist.
Thompson's Warning
The former secretary of Health and Human Services offers a bleak and
blunt assessment of federal policy.
October 1, 2005
Fraud Squad
Appointing inspectors general to probe reports of wrongdoing is
politically popular. And some IGs are becoming very powerful.
Whose Guard Is It, Anyway?
The part-time soldiers fighting for the Pentagon overseas have work to
do at home.
July 1, 2005
Open Season on Middle Managers
In the latest round of budget cuts, mid-level managers are considered
the easiest and most defenseless target.
Licensing Trouble
Under a new federal law, state DMVs will be forced into the role of
immigration police.
May 1, 2005
Law of the Land
Voters' challenge to Oregon's stringent land use controls may signal a
major shift in the property rights debate nationwide.
Tired of Tin-Cup Politics
A new group of urban leaders wants a strategy based on success, not on
pleading for help.
Good Deed, Punished
A noble notion to limit state contractors from contributing to
political campaigns put New Jersey crosswise with the feds.
The Pain Principle
When state legislators move up to the U.S. Congress, they seem to
forget their roots.
December 1, 2004
Skewed Results
Performance measurement has become a powerful tool for some government agencies. For others, it's been useless.
November 1, 2004
House of Loopholes
The more tax cuts Congress passes, the more trouble states and
localities will have making ends meet.
October 1, 2004
To Take or Not To Take
A Michigan court ruling on eminent domain has national implications.
September 1, 2004
Preempting Washington
State regulators need to work together if they want to keep the feds
from moving in on them.
July 1, 2004
Modest Mandate Relief
The federal anti-mandate law is almost 10 years old. It hasn't worked
any miracles, but it hasn't been a total loss, either.
July 1, 2004
Worth the Money?
The competition for top talent is producing a cadre of highly paid
public executives.
May 1, 2004
On the Brink of Brac
Cutting back on military bases makes economic sense--unless you happen
to live near one.
May 1, 2004
Going Outside
The push to privatize is expanding beyond service delivery into the
areas of policy making and program design.
March 1, 2004
Uncivil Disunion
States Won't Find It Easy To Resolve The Gay Marriage Issue. The
Federal Government Could Make The Task Even Harder.
January 1, 2004
Miami Inc.
Infamous for living 'la vida loca,' Miami now answers to a business
beat.
January 1, 2004
Gone With the Windfall
States are finally getting their federal care package. Local
governments would like to see some of it.
November 1, 2003
Road Blocks
In hard times, good sense should prevail. But that's not what's
happening with the re-crafting of transportation policy.
September 1, 2003
Block That Grant
The White House can't wait to sell off federal programs. The states
might want to look before buying.
July 1, 2003
Who's Afraid of The DMV?
For most people, motor vehicle offices are the face of government.
It's not a pretty face.
July 1, 2003
Feds Bearing Gifts
Lobbying Washington for state and local budget aid isn't the gentlest
game in the world.
May 1, 2003
Civil Service Tsunami
Florida's radical overhaul of its personnel system is making big
political waves.
May 1, 2003
Busted By The Feds
The Justice Department spends a lot of money tracking down state and
local corruption. Is that necessary? Unfortunately, yes.
January 1, 2003
Fear of Fingerprinting
There's a form of gun regulation that could save thousands of lives a
year. If we weren't so paranoid, we'd adopt it.
November 1, 2002
Faith and Innovation
The mixture of religion and social service worries a lot of people.
But is it really a problem?
September 1, 2002
Leaving It to the Court
More and more issues of federalism are ending up in the Supreme Court.
There's a reason for that.
August 1, 2002
Capital Gains
The District of Columbia, once the nation's poster child for
managerial incompetence, is staging a comeback.
July 1, 2002
Railroad Realism
It will take more than platitudes to save Amtrak. But good ideas are
out there.
May 1, 2002
A Lesson in Brown
The feds have learned what to do with polluted industrial sites.
States and cities taught them.
May 1, 2002
Guide to Transportation Spending: Signs of the TEA Generation
ISTEA and TEA-21 were designed to overhaul state highway habits and
refocus spending. Is that what's happening?
March 1, 2002
The Snoozing Watchdogs
States have done better on a whole lot of fronts in recent years.
Corporate regulation isn't one of them.
March 1, 2002
The Flip Side of Welfare Reform
We've gotten people off the rolls. But we aren't paying most of them
enough to live on.
January 1, 2002
Managing Performance: Leadership's Challenge
When it comes to governing in the United States, "there is more that unites us than divides us," declared Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, as he welcomed more than 350 high-level local and state officials to Governing's annual management conference, held in Baltimore October 10-12.
January 1, 2002
Time to Cooperate
There's nothing we need more right now than teamwork among state,
local and federal government. It doesn't come naturally.
November 1, 2001
Safety is Still a Local Issue
This is a time for every level of government to remember the things it
does best.
November 1, 2001
John Engler: Speed Ahead
Remaking a state through ideology and determination
October 1, 2001
Urban Role Model
Local governments in many places run more efficiently than they used
to. But there's one in New Zealand that's in a class by itself.
September 1, 2001
Low Power, Low Payoff
There's a cheap and simple way for governments to get their message
out. It's called radio.
July 1, 2001
Too Broke to Fix
If we want a health care system that works, we need to start some
radical experimenting.
June 1, 2001
'Save us From the States!'
To a business community confronting 50 sets of rules in 50 state
capitols, Washington suddenly looks like a friend.
May 1, 2001
Spoiled-Food Federalism
When it comes to protecting the food supply, states leave it to
Washington. Maybe they shouldn't.
March 1, 2001
I Have to Talk to You About Your Job...
Job reviews are nerve-racking for both managers and employees. Some
places are trying to make them less stressful and more meaningful.
March 1, 2001
The Testing Panacea
School reform through saturation testing is a simple and seductive
idea. It needs scrutiny.
January 1, 2001
Management's Challenge: Leadership for Changing Times
"Change is going to happen," declared Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt
in his keynote address at Governing's annual management conference in
Salt Lake City.
January 1, 2001
Tackling the Telecom Giants
Rewriting the 1996 reform law could make it better. It could also make
it worse.
November 1, 2000
Deeds, Data and Dollars
The idea of crafting a budget based on performance measures is
catching on--slowly.
November 1, 2000
Chip On Their Shoulders
`Use it or lose it' is no formula for effective federalism.
October 1, 2000
Raising Alabama
A reform-minded governor thinks performance measurement is the first
step toward a healthy state future.
October 1, 2000
Cash Backs Iowa's Promises
Taking a page from the nation's top retailers, Iowa is making a new promise to its citizens: If you're not happy with the services you receive from state government, you get your money back.
September 1, 2000
States, Feds and Special Ed
The standard for evaluating states' special education efforts is
shifting from access to outcomes.
August 1, 2000
Pension Fund Follies
Do recent investment scandals mean public retirement systems need a
quick fix?
July 1, 2000
The Welfare Spin
You can read the numbers on welfare reform in lots of different ways.
July 1, 2000
Anti-Box Rebellion
There's no easy way for a small community to fight monster retailers.
But there's a right time to do it: before they show up.
May 1, 2000
The Land-Use Busybodies
Property rights activists want local land-use cases thrown into
federal court. Judges are starting to do it.
May 1, 2000
The Buzz Over Balance
The balanced scorecard is the latest private-sector managment trend to
hit governments. What's it all about?
April 1, 2000
Government by the Numbers
A once-obscure cost-accounting method is becoming the clearest path to
tracking the real costs of delivering services.
April 1, 2000
Rationalizing a Bond Binge
Florida has recently become one of a handful of states to adopt a formal system of debt analysis aimed at helping guide debt-issuance decisions.
March 1, 2000
The Employee Exodus
Scores of government workers are nearing retirement age. Little is
being done to plan for their replacement.
March 1, 2000
Who's Guarding the Bank?
Financial deregulation offers the public some neat opportunities. it
also offers the potential for disaster.
January 1, 2000
Peformance-Driven Government: Using Measures to Manage
Is performance measurement living up to its promise? When it comes to measuring the impact of government programs and services, its potential is now widely accepted.
January 1, 2000
The Welfare Bonanza
The private sector is moving quickly to cash in on the new world of
public assistance. Can the for-profits do a better job than government
workers?