April 19, 2018
Tips from a cybersecurity expert.
April 5, 2018
People who work for the Trump administration and Congress members aren't the only government employees being asked to sign legally questionable contracts to keep secrets.
April 4, 2018
Most of the problems are rooted in false or missing data.
March 26, 2018
Much like President Trump, many U.S. cities make an effort to use the goods and services of companies in their own city limits. It has some troubling side effects.
March 23, 2018
Too many state licensing boards are not fulfilling their objectives, yet, more are popping up.
March 22, 2018
The issue that led West Virginia teachers to walk out may be boiling over elsewhere as states neglect workers' benefits, sometimes causing financial and medical hardship for public servants.
March 8, 2018
When an agency head leaves, some states take years to find a permanent replacement. What takes so long?
February 23, 2018
When pension reform happens, new workers often carry the biggest financial burden. But they don't always have to.
February 8, 2018
There are a lot of big issues facing officials in 2018. The biggest is funding.
February 8, 2018
When vacancies are high, there are consequences -- and many places are feeling them.
January 25, 2018
Public-sector unions are becoming more altruistic. They may need to be.
January 23, 2018
It makes rational sense, but people find many reasons to be wary -- even high school football rivalries.
January 11, 2018
As sexual harassment allegations take down powerful politicians, states and cities are revisiting their training and policies for the bureaucrats who have far less power but keep the government running.
December 21, 2017
In what some say is a first in the world, D.C.'s latest venture gives taxi drivers new business and simultaneously cuts its own costs.
December 19, 2017
Program evaluation offices have yet to become common throughout government -- and where they do exist, many lawmakers don't know about them.
December 7, 2017
The David Bohnett Foundation is funding a pipeline -- albeit, small -- of young people who want to work in local government.
November 21, 2017
Better data is helping schools find new ways to keep kids in classrooms.
November 9, 2017
It's hard to get people to follow their local government on Facebook or Twitter. A few cities are using their employees' personal accounts to connect with more residents.
October 26, 2017
As Governing celebrates its 30th anniversary, here's a few predictions for the next three decades.
October 19, 2017
Governments in recent years have shifted more and more of the burden of health-care premiums on to employees themselves.
October 5, 2017
Public-sector unions are already preparing for a potential exodus of members and a loss of revenue. Can they survive without charging mandatory fees?
September 21, 2017
Sometimes you have to be the bad cop. Throwing out stereotypes about millennials is a good idea, too.
September 14, 2017
Budget cuts and political retaliation, they say, are endangering their jobs and their ability to uncover information.
September 8, 2017
Many governments hope so, as they add benefits like napping pods and kid-friendly workplaces to keep employees happy.
August 24, 2017
The recruiting tactic may grow as baby boomers leave more job vacancies.
August 16, 2017
Broken links, outdated information and mysterious abbreviations are just a few of the problems.
August 10, 2017
Governments are starting to realize that cybersecurity isn't just the responsibility of the IT department.
July 20, 2017
“As far as I know, we’re the only state doing this,” says Gov. Terry McAuliffe's chief of staff.
July 20, 2017
You can’t run public agencies like private companies, but you can borrow ideas from them.
July 7, 2017
Human tragedy comes with the badge -- but help dealing with it often doesn't.
June 27, 2017
Purchasing has become more complex, which is why managers want critical thinking to lead the process.
June 22, 2017
Public employees are often resistant to technological change. In some cases, it's their employers' fault.
June 8, 2017
The option is catching on among public-sector employers as a way to attract and retain employees.
May 18, 2017
Women working in public administration make, on average, 25 percent -- or $16,900 -- less than men.
May 11, 2017
They fool some of the people most of the time.
May 4, 2017
Diversity has a lot of benefits, but achieving it isn't as easy as it sounds.
April 20, 2017
Public service students appear to be shying away from working in government, possibly worsening the sector's longtime hiring struggle.
April 20, 2017
We asked, and they told us.
April 6, 2017
From promises of pay raises to warnings of cutbacks, State of the State speeches offer a peek into their priorities for the year.
March 27, 2017
Governors are slowly realizing that they need someone to take on the things they don’t have time for.
March 23, 2017
Studies show that the people just joining the workforce may present a different set of challenges and opportunities than their predecessors.
March 9, 2017
Few state or local government employees have the benefit, but that's slowly changing -- and so are the circumstances for getting it.
February 24, 2017
They have fewer free-speech rights than private workers, but what counts as a fireable offense is debatable.
February 15, 2017
Staff and budget shortages are mostly to blame.
February 9, 2017
It's a win-win: Employees grow their careers and the public sector grows, or at least maintains, its workforce.
January 26, 2017
Few governments have succession plans in place. The ones that do are seeing some positive results.
January 23, 2017
Progress is slow. Our overly enthusiastic forecasts prove that.
January 12, 2017
New governors can learn a thing or two from presidential transitions.
December 22, 2016
According to union officials and HR executives around the country.
December 20, 2016
They often fall under the radar, but compacts are becoming a top tool for managing interstate issues.
December 8, 2016
Neil Reichenberg has devoted his career to helping the public sector hire and keep employees.
November 17, 2016
Turnover in the field has reached crisis levels in some places, forcing them to figure out how to hire and keep the right people.
November 16, 2016
John Hickenlooper hopes to recruit high-level talent for the next generation of public officials.
November 3, 2016
Getting rid of paper applications speeds up the hiring process, but it can lead to the wrong people making the cut.
October 20, 2016
Harvard and Bloomberg Philanthropies have teamed up to offer what they say is the first major effort to formally educate mayors about how to be more effective.
October 14, 2016
Whether it's prisons in Idaho or pensions in Michigan, several states are moving their outsourced services back in-house.
October 6, 2016
Public employers offer to help workers with nearly every aspect of their lives -- whether it's related to their finances or their marriage.
September 22, 2016
In Karen Thoreson's world, few things are ruled out as a possibility for improving public services.
September 19, 2016
The people who decide criminals’ freedom are often ill-equipped to make informed decisions. That’s where risk assessment tools come in, but they aren't always used.
September 8, 2016
Qualified -- and willing -- applicants have become increasingly hard for police departments to find.
August 30, 2016
Chicago and many other municipalities are focusing on reforming the rigid and inconsistent rules of procurement.
August 18, 2016
Going online for public information isn't as easy as it should be.
August 4, 2016
States are increasingly creating specialized ombudsman offices to cater to citizens' complaints.
July 21, 2016
Not for most local officials. But they may not all be using their time wisely.
July 12, 2016
When a disaster strikes, skilled management can save lives and political futures.
July 7, 2016
More information isn't always better. Some things are better kept secret.
June 23, 2016
In some statewide positions, people come and go fast, taking several keys to success when they leave.
June 22, 2016
Governments’ increasing reliance on special funds can put them in financial and legal trouble.
June 9, 2016
Depending on whether you work for states and localities, the federal government or the private sector, your job satisfaction may differ.
May 25, 2016
Millions of disabled, sick and elderly people rely on medical transportation that can leave them stranded for hours in times of need.
May 19, 2016
It depends on how governments use the results.
May 5, 2016
It's important to know when overtime is a smart financial decision and when it's better to send employees home.
April 25, 2016
At least 20 states are developing performance-based systems for funding higher education. The impact varies widely from state to state.
April 21, 2016
The majority of employee complaints result from weak managerial skills. What's being done to address it?
April 7, 2016
The leaders of Georgia’s purchasing office on saving money, realizing the importance of data analysts and being underappreciated.
March 17, 2016
There's a long-standing rivalry between the people who do performance measurement and the people who evaluate programs.
March 3, 2016
We have to have them, so we might as well make them as productive as possible.
March 1, 2016
These are the top challenges governments will need to address in 2016.
February 18, 2016
To get people to teach in expensive or rural areas, some school districts are offering to help pay their rent or mortgage.
February 8, 2016
As states and localities have tried to modernize the way they attract and retain public workers, some best practices have emerged.
February 4, 2016
Their State of the State addresses offer a window into their to-do lists for the new year.
February 1, 2016
Employees are often overworked and undertrained, putting themselves and the inmates they're supposed to protect at risk.
January 21, 2016
Most state budget offices have fewer employees and more work than they did a decade ago.
January 7, 2016
The people who probe governments' finances and effectiveness often have little power and are at risk of losing more, says Philadelphia Controller Alan Butkovitz.
January 1, 2016
Many states and cities get hung up on low prices and fail to consider a company's performance when deciding whether to contract with them.
December 17, 2015
Budgets aren't as transparent as they could be. There are ways (some simpler than others) to fix that.
December 3, 2015
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
December 1, 2015
From city managers to auditors, local officials offer ways to fix data collection.
November 19, 2015
Gary Blackmer talks about auditing police, changes in the field and the toughest parts of the job.
November 5, 2015
States often fail to finish their annual reports in time for them to even matter. Some have found ways to speed up the process.
November 1, 2015
The state’s successful civil service reforms offer lessons for other governments.
October 22, 2015
Many states struggle to know how much property they have and how best to use it. Some, though, are fixing the problem -- and it's saving them money.
October 8, 2015
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
October 1, 2015
Most have evolved toward a no-kill policy but lack the money or resources to keep every animal alive and well.
September 17, 2015
Public employers can't legally get rid of their employees as easy as Trump and his private-sector peers can. But there are ways to make it easier.
September 3, 2015
Mediators can either make the already-uneasy relationship between reporters and public officials worse or better.
September 1, 2015
Government agencies can learn a lot from tracking and analyzing grievance claims.
August 20, 2015
For technology to meet its potential to transform health care, many barriers must be overcome.
August 6, 2015
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
August 1, 2015
Knowing why employees quit might keep others on the job, something governments struggle to do.
July 23, 2015
The media often ignores legislation related to government management, so we tracked down some of the year's highlights.
July 9, 2015
States are not the only ones to lack the data they need to make good government.
July 1, 2015
As the amount of data that governments accumulate grows, so does the need to disaggregate it.
June 24, 2015
States and localities are embracing the promise of big data. But just how good is the information they’re collecting in the first place?
June 18, 2015
The guiding principles of improv comedy could help people in the public sector perform better.
June 4, 2015
Some argue it can be traced back to how departments evaluate their officers.
June 1, 2015
And without proof of its value, cash-strapped states are increasingly cutting training budgets.
May 21, 2015
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
May 7, 2015
There are many ways numbers can be misleading. Here are a few.
May 1, 2015
License requirements are intended to improve the safety of services like nail salons. But in many other professions, the negative effects of licensing can outweigh the positive.
April 23, 2015
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
April 9, 2015
Government managers all appear to be speaking English, but the same words and phrases often have multiple, contradictory meanings.
April 1, 2015
Even though states spend more on payroll than anything else, many governors no longer look to human resources for advice on their workforce.
March 19, 2015
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
March 5, 2015
Many states have them, but few evaluate whether efficiency commissions are themselves efficient.
March 1, 2015
Most politicians fail to communicate the importance of policies to the public because they lack skills in the art of the anecdote.
February 19, 2015
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
February 19, 2015
While most favor increasing transparency in tax incentives, some of the biggest players in state and local government have spoken out against the latest proposal.
February 5, 2015
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
February 1, 2015
Each are crucial for states and localities to address this year.
January 22, 2015
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
January 8, 2015
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
January 1, 2015
An impromptu survey reveals what public officials worry most about and what makes them optimistic about the future.
December 18, 2014
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
December 4, 2014
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
December 1, 2014
The transition from one administration to the next sets the tone for a new governor. But there are ways to mess it up.
November 20, 2014
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
November 6, 2014
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
November 1, 2014
Some governments are going back to measuring employees' quantity of output instead of quality.
October 23, 2014
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
October 9, 2014
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
October 1, 2014
There are financial and educational benefits to merging small school districts, yet it's almost always a hard sell.
September 18, 2014
Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.
September 4, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
September 1, 2014
Many state and local agencies fail to properly oversee waiting lists for government programs.
August 21, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
August 7, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
August 1, 2014
From guns to backhoes to vehicles, many municipalities struggle to keep track of their inventories.
July 24, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
July 10, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
July 1, 2014
Oregon’s workers’ compensation reform shows benchmarking (when done right) can lead to big gains in efficiency.
June 19, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
June 5, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
June 1, 2014
Elected officials have a tendency to promise big savings and painless cuts that often don’t turn out how they hoped.
May 22, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
May 8, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
May 1, 2014
When students from abroad attend American universities, their ideas enrich us.
April 17, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
April 3, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
April 1, 2014
Yes, it’s been a boon for government work, but it also opens the door to conflict and confusion.
March 20, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
March 6, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
March 1, 2014
In its 25 years, the Internet has drastically changed how government works.
February 20, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
February 6, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
February 1, 2014
The turnover rate among young state employees is rising. Raising pay might be a way to change that, but it’s not a practical one.
January 23, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
January 9, 2014
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
January 1, 2014
Should governments emulate the business practice of Fortune 500 companies?
December 1, 2013
Open government is often more rhetoric than reality.
October 17, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
October 3, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
October 1, 2013
It's not black and white, but understanding the pros and cons increases your chances of coming to the right answer for a particular project.
September 19, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
September 5, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
September 1, 2013
Beyond fear of disclosure, there are a number of reasons states and localities may not want to engage in benchmarking.
August 22, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
August 1, 2013
Thanks to recent revenue increases, some states are unfreezing public workers’ pay for the first time since before the recession. But looking at pay levels rather than total compensation hides a great deal of the story.
July 25, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
July 11, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
June 28, 2013
Although not every city and state is eager to form inspector general offices -- New York City leaders, for example, are currently debating the benefits of one for the police department -- the trend toward more of them has been steady.
June 20, 2013
All the public-sector management news you should know.
June 6, 2013
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
May 23, 2013
Public-sector management news you should know.
May 21, 2013
A text message conversation about how once management fads fade, the best concepts remain.
April 30, 2013
Coordination between public agencies and utilities will keep streets from being torn up, again and again.
April 18, 2013
Plus: the misconception about failure and more management news
April 4, 2013
Plus: a great resource for child welfare workers and more management news
March 29, 2013
In the past three years, states and cities have brought in billions of dollars in additional user fees. But there are pitfalls to this form of revenue boost.
March 21, 2013
Plus: the message that "out of office" replies convey and more management news
March 7, 2013
Plus: The importance of parks and more management news
February 28, 2013
When management meets politics, management is generally the loser. What can policymakers do to heighten the chances that a reform will, at least, be given the opportunity to succeed or fail?
February 21, 2013
Plus: why Portland, Ore., may no longer be a leader in transit planning and more management news
February 7, 2013
Plus: how a transit authority transformed itself and more management news
January 31, 2013
There's a new push to get these 2,000 international partnerships working together on concrete development programs.
January 24, 2013
Plus: a guide for successful collaboration and more management news
January 10, 2013
Plus: government's ongoing war against “the bad guys” and more management news
December 28, 2012
Take weatherization. It’s harder than advertised to come up with an easy way to assess the program’s success.
December 13, 2012
Plus: the importance of IT training and more management news
November 30, 2012
Giving preference to women- or minority-owned businesses is a widely acceptable social policy that can run into management problems.
November 29, 2012
Plus: 4 questions to ask before sharing services and more management news
November 8, 2012
Plus: Finding Medicaid waste and more management news
October 31, 2012
Instead of simply preselecting private- or public-sector employees, managed competition means projects can be put out for bid with both groups competing for work.
October 18, 2012
Plus: The impact of postponed retirement and more management news
October 4, 2012
Plus: Advice for the public sector from the private sector and more management news
September 28, 2012
Less than a decade after the state enacted its first real performance measurement plan, it -- like a number of other similar programs in the states -- has fallen on hard times.
September 20, 2012
Plus: The unpredictable costs of trauma care, and more management news
September 6, 2012
Plus: When cuts come to cops, and more management news
August 31, 2012
Governments are struggling with how to properly manage sick leave to prevent employees from abusing it.
August 23, 2012
Plus: The return of the Manager's Reading List, and more management news
August 8, 2012
Plus: Illegal pension recipients, and more management news
July 31, 2012
The concept of sharing unspent dollars with other employees and agencies saves governments money but is often ignored when budgets are the smallest.
July 19, 2012
Plus: Getting data right on teachers, and more management news
July 19, 2012
B&G readers weigh in on whether requiring doctors' notes will cut down on absenteeism.
July 5, 2012
Plus: The problems with digital textbooks and more management news
June 29, 2012
The average citizen isn’t interested in government-tracked measurements. But if it’s results-based data that directly affects their lives, they might be.
June 21, 2012
Plus: A well-written plea for audtiting, and more management news
June 7, 2012
Plus: Questions about restructuring, and more management news
May 31, 2012
Quality measures are transforming everything from billing practices to patient behavior.
May 17, 2012
Plus: Life in the 'burbs, and more management news
May 3, 2012
Plus: Patient-ranked doctors and more management news
April 30, 2012
Many governments have shifted into reverse, cutting and even eliminating auditing offices.
April 19, 2012
Plus: A scathing Rhode Island audit, and more management news
April 5, 2012
Plus: Wise words from a former dicator, and more management news
March 30, 2012
The technology is there, but many state and local agencies still aren’t using it.
March 22, 2012
Should governments count paid leave toward overtime?
March 22, 2012
Plus: Linking forms and outcomes, and more management news
March 8, 2012
Plus: Getting it right on overtime, and more management news
February 29, 2012
In tight times, governments push for more centralization. But it doesn’t always produce the positive results that are hoped for.
February 23, 2012
Plus: Tricky tax incentives, and more management news
February 9, 2012
Plus: No love for committees, and more management news
January 31, 2012
Government efficiency initiatives come and go. But Utah has had continued success with one in particular.
January 19, 2012
Plus: A better way to rate hospital care, and more management news
January 19, 2012
Do public employee appraisals actually accomplish anything?
January 5, 2012
Plus: Employee self-motivation and more management news
January 1, 2012
How much fraud actually occurs is debatable, but the benefits of eliminating it are clear. And many governments are taking steps to stop schemes, scams and public-sector swindles.
December 8, 2011
Plus: Welfare rules in the 50 states, and more management news.
November 30, 2011
People have gradually lost trust in government. How can public leaders get it back?
November 17, 2011
Plus: Assessing corruption in the public sector, and more management news
November 3, 2011
Plus: Questions about pension investments, and more management news
October 31, 2011
Groups that assess the value of government programs inevitably make some enemies. That’s one reason the programs are always first on the chopping block.
October 20, 2011
Plus: The soothing power of shelter dogs, and more management news
October 6, 2011
Plus: Cheaper tech for schools, and more management news
September 30, 2011
Loopholes, unexpected expenses and glorified revenue predictions make balanced budgets an unattainable reality for some legislatures.
September 22, 2011
Plus: Defining a good boss, and more management news
September 8, 2011
Focusing on the budget minutiae, and more management news
August 31, 2011
States and cities are finding that even the simplest tasks, like switching to LED streetlight bulbs, can result in significant savings.
August 18, 2011
Plus: Emphasizing the individual, and more management news
July 29, 2011
Municipalities in more than a dozen states are using tools to gauge their courts’ speed, accessibility and reliability in administering justice.
July 21, 2011
B&G Readers sound off on whether it's okay to go up against the man or woman in charge.
July 21, 2011
Plus: Sounding off on disagreeing with the boss, and more management news
July 7, 2011
Plus: Misconduct in the school cafeteria, and more management news
June 30, 2011
When states determine to make some kind of cut with regard to agencies, it's important to differentiate between them.
June 23, 2011
Plus: Harmful transparency and more management news
June 9, 2011
Plus: Four-day school weeks and more management news
June 9, 2011
The new website empowers citizens to make their decisions based on the issues and not the party that supports them.
June 2, 2011
B&G readers sound off on their frustrations with on-the-job technology.
May 31, 2011
Employers can't pinpoint what the real value of retiree benefits is to them.
May 19, 2011
Plus: Shared services and more management news
May 19, 2011
A discussion with a veteran of local level public service.
May 5, 2011
Plus: Too much certainty, and more management news
April 29, 2011
The distinctions between gaps and deficits can show just how dire a city or state's condition is.
April 21, 2011
Plus: Learning from successes, and more management news
April 7, 2011
Plus: An update on government swag, and more management news
April 7, 2011
Local leaders differ on whether government-branded freebies and trinkets are worth the money.
March 31, 2011
There's more to keeping in touch with constituents than public hearings.
March 17, 2011
Plus: Who to follow on Twitter, and more management news
March 3, 2011
Plus: Police Unions in Wisconsin, And More Management News
March 1, 2011
When state legislatures pass new programs but don't fund them, they may do more harm than good.
February 17, 2011
Plus: Watching California's Jerry Brown, and more management news
February 3, 2011
Plus: Good News for Counties, And More Management News
February 1, 2011
Louisiana learns to use information about its students to create real-life benefits for them.
January 20, 2011
Plus: A Small Victory for Detroit, And More Management News
January 6, 2011
Plus: Recommended reading, short-term thinking and more management news
January 1, 2011
As the feds help states and cities, a new relationship may be developing.
December 16, 2010
Plus: Giving oversight some teeth, looking at some pretty graphics, and more management news
December 2, 2010
Plus: Manager must-reads, the importance of good data, and more management news
December 1, 2010
Deep managerial workforce cuts change how tightly and rightly governments run.
November 18, 2010
Plus: measuring student achievement, balancing state budgets, and more management news.
November 4, 2010
Plus: The cost of rules, how bikes saves lives, and more management news.
November 1, 2010
States and localities should prioritize top goals and revamp the budgeting process.
October 21, 2010
Plus: City Budget Cuts, Stimulus Strains, And More Management News
October 7, 2010
Plus: A New Budget Gimmick, And More Management News
October 1, 2010
In boom times, states forget the bust years. That’s worrisome as revenues show signs of life.
Plus: Payday Fraud, Citizen-Driven Budgeting, and More Management News
Plus: Performance evaluations, the challenge of cell phones and government, and more management news.
Before contracting out a government function, a jurisdiction must have solid information about a firm's performance.
Plus: The power of comfort, Florida's liquor-lag, and more.
A handful of B&G Report readers speak out about the positives and negatives of devices that allow them to stay in touch with their work around the clock.
Plus: Making Commissions Useful, Counting Contracts, And More
Partnering for value can be great for a state or city, but the devil is in the details.
Plus: Health Care Misconceptions, Performance Management Uncertainties, And More
Plus: Relaxing Oversight on State Contracts, Making Referendum Signatures Public, And More
Funding for state programs that research and analyze long-term issues is dwindling.
Plus: Progress on Hospital Infections, Another Bunch of Bad Co-Workers, And More
Plus: Fees for Special Treatment, Sin-Tax Errors, And More
Working from home has been touted as the future, so why isn't it catching on faster?
Plus: Imperiled Public Health Agencies, the Importance of Statistics, And More
Plus: Public-Private Partnerships, The End of the Rubber Room, And More
The low-tech telephone plays a key role in keeping government connected to citizens. Too bad, officials never pick up. (Photo: Chris Campbell/Flickr CC)
Plus: Kentucky Loses a Resource, Texas Loses Some Fireworks, And More
When we suggested fireworks displays are community-building events that shouldn't be eliminated, some of our readers lit up like the Fourth of July.
Here's a sampling of some courses and publications designed to educate young citizens about how government works.
Plus: Civics Boot Camps, Quotables, And More
During layoffs, the effect of 'bumping rights' on the workplace is more than demoralizing.
Plus: Overworked Officers, Unanticipated Outcomes, And More
Plus: The magic of checklists, the non-jobs effects of the stimulus, and more
Contingency fee contracts are becoming hot, but have their limits.
Plus: Planning for the end of the stimulus, the D.A.R.E. problem, and more
Plus: Walkability scores, e-mail advice, and more
Inaccurate information on death certificates impacts how states allocate health-care funds.
Plus: Budget tricks, taco cooperation, and more
Plus: The stimulus vs. productivity, the "anchoring effect," and more
They are supposed to give you solid information about program demand. Instead, they mislead the public.
Plus: The phantom toll road, red-light camera accidents, and more
Plus: The jargon divide, even more questionable stimulus spending, and more
Layoffs and furloughs are taking a toll on those who are still on the job.
Plus: Unreported swine flu stats, outsourced water bills, and more
Is it ever okay to buy get-well-soon flowers with taxpayer money?
Plus: The final word on flowers, the perils of bad data, and more
This year may set a record for gimmicks they used to balance their books.
Overstated savings, underestimated budgets, and more
Plus: The problem with school vending machines, a technology reality check, and more
Obstacles to coming up with solid, accurate numbers to measure program performance are all over the place.
Robbing pensions to pay Paul, making customers happy while they wait, and more
Plus: Useless news bulletins, the tweeting-texting-traffic conundrum, and more.
It can be a drag on pensions and the bottom line.
Plus: Getting a fix on the price of government, one state that's all smiles right now, and more
Keeping an eye on California, how most states are bungling stimulus accountability, and more
Boards and commissions can be expensive--whether or not they meet.
Plus: The big pencil, the pressure to appear overloaded, and more
Plus: Under-reporting homicides, under-sharing best practices, and more
Managing for results is making a bigger difference during this downturn.
Plus: The questionable effectiveness of tax incentives, what happens when pilots fly blind, and more
Plus: Whether CEOs matter, the public-private slowdown, and more
Sometimes it saves money to outsource government work. But don't assume that.
Readers of the B&G Report tell the top two qualities they're looking for in an employee.
Plus: The possible demise of a performance institution, management lessons from a weight-loss program, and more
May 20, 2009
A running list of must-reads for public managers, suggested by readers of The B&G Report
Plus: Paying for snitches, the power of putting data on a map, and more
Stimulus or no stimulus, cost overruns are as dangerous as ever.
Plus: saving on Medicaid, the problem with building consensus, and more
Readers of the B&G Report respond to the idea of using federal stimulus dollars for quality-of-life projects.
Plus: Adaptability and flexibility, California's new stimulus watchdog, and more
An odd route to budgeting flexibility comes from banking unfilled job slots.
Plus: Taxes vs. fees, unaccountable accountability, and more
March 8, 2009
The Oregon Progress Board was created in the late 1980s to develop statewide livability indicators and monitor progress on Oregon's statewide strategic plan. It certainly...
Plus: The balanced-budget myth, Oregon's progressive Progress Board, and more
To consolidate or not to consolidate: a puzzling question.
Plus: How informing patients can lower Medicaid costs, a great resource for performance reporting, and more
Plus: Improving 311 systems, the pain of conference calls, and more
There are plenty of costly mistakes to make when you try to balance a budget through personnel freezes, cuts or early retirements.
December 31, 2008
Fifteen years ago, when a new business tried to put down roots in Kansas, the business owner had to mail in a paper registration and...
Plus: How to fix failed institutions, keeping track of budget cuts, and more
Plus: A state-city disconnect, an entirely unscientific poll about performance measures, and more
Plus: The problem with a one-year check-up, unspent money in Tulsa, and more
Plus: The decline of the citizen survey, using the Web to change attitudes about government, and more
When times are tough, politicians and managers have the cover to make hard choices.
Plus: Losing credit in Hartford, fed-state stat spat, and more
October 15, 2008
States and the federal government might be able to save a fair amount of money if they paid attention to some developments in Oregon, according...
Plus: Our own predictions for the year, government's "big pencil," and more
There is a lot of fanfare when a new program is signed into law. But then, it disappears from sight. Why is that?
Plus: A Good Idea from Oregon, the truth about state "wellness programs," and more
Plus: State boards in limbo, the power of picking up the phone, and more
A conversation with the former West Virginia governor and the current president of the Alliance for Excellent Education
Some of the problems with property taxes could be solved on the management end.
Plus: Managers Reading List, training for waving a flag, and more
The latest political buzzword is transparency. But it may not be the cure-all it's cracked up to be.
Plus: Looking for a date, flawed state audits, and more
Plus: States giving cities the shaft, letting citizens sit on pension boards, and more
Best practices are all well and good. We make a case for a center to study the worst.
Plus: Low ethical standards, the Rubber Room, and more
A conversation with one of the nation's top experts on program evaluations
Plus: Generational conflicts in the workplace, how building maintenance reduces staff turnover, and more
There are way too many of them, they take too long and don't accomplish much. Can meetings be fixed?
Plus: Telecommuting breeds discontent, sick public-sector workers, and more
December 31, 2007
It's been known for a long time that obsolete state tax systems are not producing the revenue states need. But what's becoming clear today is...
December 31, 2007
On January 29, Florida's voters will decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment -- sent to them by the state legislature -- that would set sharp...
December 31, 2007
Tax incentives have long been endorsed as the highway to prosperity -- attracting businesses, providing jobs and enriching the state. That's been conventional wisdom in...
December 31, 2007
We'd always take a tax cut, of course," says David Johnson, the former chairman of the Ohio Manufacturers' Association. Nothing surprising in those words, but...
Plus: Roadblocks to shared services, private-sector succession planning, and more
It's one thing to attract young people to government jobs. It's another to keep them there.
Plus: Why to avoid group e-mails, taxing other states' muni bonds, and more
Plus: Public vs. private salaries, sharing data over the Web, and more
When officials act quickly to solve a problem, they may fail to look at the long-term effects -- and those can create new complications.
Plus: Higher-than-expected turnover, the importance of old-fashioned written materials, and more
Plus: A great tool for performance reporting, our Journalist of the Month Award, and more
Some states and localities are taking steps to get constituents to do what they ought to do anyway.
Plus: Overly expensive -- and overly designed -- logos, the Philadelphia Productivity Bank, and more
The more thoroughly you measure the depths of any problem, the bigger
that problem will appear to be.
A conversation with the mayor and county manager of Miami-Dade
Plus: Unacceptably low graduation rates, the "paperful" office, and more
One of the toughest things for states or localities to do is get bona fide input from citizens on how they're doing.
Plus: The broadband ZIP-code gap, transportation safety for emergency responders, and more
A conversation with the controller for the city of Los Angeles
Plus: The price of promptness, the problem with playing it safe, and more
A conversation with former New York Governor George Pataki's budget director.
March 1, 2007
If budgets are financial plans, then CAFRs tell you what happened to
the plan. So why don't more people pay attention to them?
A surprising number of states and localities don't have the kind of inventory of their assets that a decent shoe store has.
Response time is the easiest but not necessarily the best measure of
performance.
A number of states are looking to career-building programs to grow
their workforces of the future.
States and localities are outsourcing more of their services, but
management of the contracts is in dire need of an upgrade.
Performance measures are finally being taken out of the box and
applied to agency plans and budgets.
Many of the statistics policy makers use today are set in concrete but
made of quicksand.
An independent performance audit can help an agency deliver services
more efficiently and effectively.
Criteria and formulas for basic performance measures are so varied,
comparing data from one state to another is often a fruitless
exercise.
Award-winning programs usually spawn copycats, but there may be good
ideas to replicate from innovative projects that falter.
Our household is just like a state: good at forecasting revenue, but
when it comes to expenditures, things get dicier.
Contracting out services can benefit the bottom line, but not always.
The trick is to figure out when it does and doesn't.
Gathering all the public input you can may sound like a good idea, but
it's often more of a pain than a panacea.
November 1, 2004
Even as doubts grow about using performance data in budgeting, mental
health agencies provide fresh evidence of the benefits.
September 1, 2004
One of the easiest ways to balance a budget is simply to predict
savings that may or may not ever come to pass.
July 1, 2004
It's important to understand that five-year forecasts are going to be
wrong, but it's good to do them anyway.
May 1, 2004
A new report can help agency officials and lawmakers use performance
measures more effectively.
March 1, 2004
Some agencies don't gather data that could help them manage better--
because it might make them look bad.
February 1, 2004
Why Health Care Is Getting Worse, Even Though Medicine Is Getting
Better
January 1, 2004
Applying the principles of managing for results to running a child's
soccer team leads to some unexpected outcomes.
November 1, 2003
Overselling a project can have unfortunate consequences, among them
earning the distrust of legislators.
September 1, 2003
A late budget is a clear sign that unproductive politics are
overwhelming a government's sensible management.
July 1, 2003
Catching every bit of fraud in government can result in what a county
official calls 'spending a dime to chase a nickel.'
May 1, 2003
Governments are in the position of trying to reward good performers--
without being able to give raises or bonuses.
March 1, 2003
Fuzzy language is a big impediment to good management--and to
understanding the way government really works.
January 1, 2003
The lack of good information to help voters make intelligent decisions
on ballot measures is startling.
November 1, 2002
People may not care how clean the average street is, but they sure
want to know how their street compares to others.
September 1, 2002
When a state or local agency has money left at the end of the year, a
spendthrift mentality tends to take over.
July 1, 2002
Louisiana has undergone a sea change in the use of performance
information. Managing for results is working there.
May 1, 2002
States and localities probably spend more money enforcing incredibly
restrictive rules than they lose on waste and fraud.
January 1, 2002
Even for those governments that have mechanisms to hasten the firing
process, it can still be laborious to get rid of deadwood.
November 1, 2001
When revenues dry up, states and localities tend to make cuts that
leave them less able to deliver services effectively.
September 1, 2001
The more managers are free to admit an impending failure without fear
of being throttled, the better off a government will be.
July 1, 2001
A new report on making results-based state government work is chock-
full of commonsense recommendations.
May 1, 2001
Problems crop up when the grievance process is so complex and time-
consuming that it stifles managers and employees.
March 1, 2001
States need a more careful process of estimating the future financial
impact of legislation before legislators pass it.
January 1, 2001
Most states can't tell you, with any authority, how much agencies
spend on training or how wisely they spend it.
November 1, 2000
Credentials may be important, but the skills, abilities, knowledge and
behavior of applicants are at least equally so.
September 1, 2000
Regardless of real-world pressures, data should be made public. Absent
good information, bad information will prevail.
July 1, 2000
Verifying the accuracy of statistics generated by performance measures
seems to be the last step in the process.
May 1, 2000
States and local governments have been swinging like a pendulum
between powerful and weak central controls.
March 1, 2000
Governments are finally beginning to figure out how to develop solid
figures for the cost of the services they provide.
January 1, 2000
Employee idea boxes seem like an obvious way to foster the ballyhooed
notion of `continuous improvement.' So why don't they work?