Mark Funkhouser

Recent Articles

• Creating a Culture of Community Health
• May 13, 2013
• From jails to factories to streets to schools, the winning programs in a foundation's competition stretch the boundaries of what we normally think of as public health.
• 1 Comments

• Appreciating Public Servants in an Age of Cynicism
• May 6, 2013
• In the aftermath of the Boston bombings, something interesting and unusual happened: People applauded their public employees.
• 1 Comments

• Governing for a Rainy Day
• Apr 30, 2013
• Healthy reserve funds allow governments to be careful and smart.

• A Powerful Measure of Urban Health: Strollers
• Apr 24, 2013
• Cities compete for residents and tax base. Nothing defines urban livability more than a city that's kid-friendly.
• 3 Comments

• Our Dangerous, Expensive System of Childbirth
• Apr 18, 2013
• Countries that rely heavily on midwives and home births have lower infant and maternal death rates than we do, and our numbers are getting worse. Isn't it time to rethink our reliance on hospitals and surgical interventions?
• 5 Comments

• Sharing the Burdens of a Broken City
• Apr 8, 2013
• We're going to see more cities like Stockton. We need better ways to deal with the downward fiscal spiral.
• 10 Comments

• What's Really Needed to Save Detroit: Democracy
• Apr 1, 2013
• Certainly spending must be cut and services must be restored, but it's essential that the voices of the loyal Detroiters who have stayed be heard.
• 6 Comments

• How to Insult Government Workers
• Mar 29, 2013
• There are lots of problems with pay for performance, but one of the most salient is that it implies that employees are slackers.
• 10 Comments

• How Four Students Solved a Difficult Mental-Health Service Problem
• Mar 28, 2013
• The winners of this year's National Public Policy Challenge had a guiding principle: Think big, start small.
• 1 Comments

• A Transplant from Queens in the Heart of the Confederacy
• Mar 21, 2013
• Stephen Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, S.C., has ambitious goals for his city. He's off to a strong start.
• 1 Comments

• The Tools We Need to Help Poor Neighborhoods
• Mar 11, 2013
• The Community Reinvestment Act doesn't always get at underlying economic issues. It's time to redesign it.
• 1 Comments

• A Transportation Funding Power Shift
• Feb 28, 2013
• States are moving into the void left by Washington’s paralysis.

• A Small-Town Mayor in the National Arena
• Feb 28, 2013
• Clarence Anthony, the National League of Cities' new executive director, wants the NLC to be a strike force for cities at a time when our federal system is undergoing profound changes.

• Giving Citizens Numbers They Can Understand
• Feb 25, 2013
• 'Citizen-centric' financial reporting is a way for governments to improve transparency and accountability. It isn't hard, so why aren't more jurisdictions doing it?
• 5 Comments

• Municipal Securities and the Waiting Game
• Feb 21, 2013
• Federal law gives the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board the authority to protect issuers, but it can't do that job until the SEC gives it a tool it needs.