Mike Maciag

Recent Articles

• Contractors, Quasi-Public Agencies Avoid Scrutiny, New Studies Show
• Mar 15, 2012
• Two new reports indicate contractors and quasi-public agencies often avert public records laws, leaving citizens in the dark.

• Report: States Make Significant Strides in Transparency
• Mar 14, 2012
• Several states upgraded their transparency efforts last year, while others lag behind. See how each state ranked in a new report.
• 2 Comments

• Governing Data Relaunches With New Look
• Mar 12, 2012
• Looking for data? Check out the new and improved Governing Data site.

• Are Local Government Cuts Nearing An End?
• Mar 9, 2012
• New data shows local public employee cuts have slowed. Does this mean governments are about to rehire?
• 5 Comments

• Average Unemployment Rate Fell in Most States in 2011
• Mar 1, 2012
• How did your state's unemployment rate compare to others last year? BLS data shows year-over-year improvements for most states.

• Prison Counts Decline As States Enact Reforms
• Feb 16, 2012
• The nation's prison population recently declined for the first time in nearly 40 years. View a map and detailed data for your state.

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

• OMB Controller Werfel Shares Lessons of Recovery Act
• Feb 1, 2012
• U.S. Controller Danny Werfel discussed key lessons from the Recovery Act to attendees at Governing's Outlook in the States and Localities conference.
• 1 Comments

• The Future of Federal Spending
• Jan 31, 2012
• A slew of different players are considering major changes to how federal spending is tracked and all of their efforts will likely impact state and local governments.

• Alabama, Michigan Report Largest Unemployment Rate Declines
• Jan 24, 2012
• New Labor Department figures show unemployment rates declined in 37 states last month.

• Local Libraries Weather Threat of Cuts in Internet Age
• Jan 18, 2012
• Local libraries have fought back against budget cuts and adapted to new technology at a time when more are seeking information online.
• 1 Comments

• Local Governments Cut 181K Jobs in 2011
• Jan 6, 2012
• An estimated 280,000 public employee jobs were cut in 2011, with local governments accounting for most of the losses.

• State, Local Governments Face Language Barriers
• Jan 3, 2012
• Many local governments are accommodating droves of non-English speakers. View language data for each county and state.
• 1 Comments

• Unemployment Rates Fall in 43 States
• Dec 20, 2011
• New figures released by the Labor Department show unemployment rates fell in 43 states. View state breakdowns for government payrolls.

• Proposal Calls for Major Shift in Federal Spending Transparency
• Dec 16, 2011
• A federal board has proposed a centralized system for tracking spending. If implemented, officials say it could reduce state and local governments' reporting burden and improve data access for citizens.