Stephen Goldsmith

Recent Articles

• For Labor Day, a few words from organized labor
• Sep 7, 2009
• In honor of Labor Day, we are happy to share with readers a column from Andy Stern, the president of the Service Employees International Union....

• Better at Doing What?
• Aug 19, 2009
• Private companies think about their "value proposition" all the time. What are we doing for our customers that make them happy to pay our price?...

• Private Funding for Public Infrastructure
• Aug 9, 2009
• Private investors in the Indiana Toll Road have taken a bath. In April, a $2.5 billion deal to lease Chicago's Midway Airport to a private operator...

• 311 Systems Just Scratching the Surface
• Aug 4, 2009
• Municipal "311" systems have transformed the way cities hear about problems like broken street lights and car crunching potholes. But a column by Zach Tumin of...
• 2 Comments

• Going Green, Saving Green
• Jul 29, 2009
• Green is good. But right now there isn't enough of the "green stuff" to go around. Which is why the column by Lynn Scarlett is...

• Innovative Government Shouldn't Be an Oxymoron
• Jul 22, 2009
• Atlanta tried a four day work week. The Santa Clara jail now takes reservations--for visitors, not inmates--greatly streamlining the process. New York City is creating...
• 2 Comments

• Innovation Amidst Crisis
• Jul 20, 2009
• Contrary to stereotypes, governments innovate. Public officials, and the non-profit and for-profit partners they work with, are continuously developing creative approaches to solving difficult challenges....

• Political Space for Innovation
• Jul 14, 2009
• Government should help social entrepreneurs find creative solutions. The best way to do that is to remove barriers.

• California: State On Hold
• Jun 18, 2009
• In January, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger basically refused to give his State of the State Address during his State of the State Address: "It doesn't make...

• Anaheim's Curt Pringle
• Apr 6, 2009
• Anaheim's mayor found a unique way to reap the benefits of competition to improve city services.
• 2 Comments

• Somerville's Joseph A. Curtatone
• Mar 9, 2009
• Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has enacted transformative changes in the management of Somerville, Massachusetts, and has done so by championing the importance of cost and efficiency data for all city services to improve accountability and performance.

• Prudent Privatization
• Jan 14, 2009
• Too often, political rhetoric overshadows careful analysis.

• The Ascension of an Innovator
• Dec 17, 2008
• Can the president-elect's choice to lead HUD teach a tough bureaucracy how to say yes?