Peter Harkness

Recent Articles

• Federalism from the Bottom Up
• Feb 28, 2013
• More than ever, the feds need states and local regions to take the lead in crafting promising new programs.

• Who Pays for Superstorm Sandy?
• Dec 28, 2012
• States don’t just want money to rebuild -- they want money to make far-reaching changes to infrastructure too.
• 1 Comments

• It's Time for States, Localities to Think Boldly
• Oct 31, 2012
• Elections and governance have become so intertwined that it’s hard to know when campaigns begin or end. We do know we need big ideas.

• Washington, D.C.’s Other 1-Percent Problem
• Aug 31, 2012
• The nation’s capital is more about what you own these days than what you do.

• The Politics of Rising Tuition Costs
• Jun 29, 2012
• Obama blames the states, but the problem is more complicated.
• 1 Comments

• Public Universities Reach a Tipping Point
• May 31, 2012
• Severe funding cuts and the record-high numbers of people going to college are forcing state university systems to make tough decisions about financial aid, curriculums, research and more.
• 3 Comments

• The Affordable Care Act: A Case Study for Cooperative Federalism?
• Apr 30, 2012
• If the health reform law is upheld, the flexibility it will give states on health insurance exchanges could be a model for healthy federal-state relations.
• 1 Comments

• Despite Corruption Concerns, D.C. Improves Services
• Feb 29, 2012
• Amid several ethics scandals, the city government has dramatically improved its delivery of services -- even as demand has increased.
• 1 Comments

• What Brand of Federalism Is Next?
• Jan 1, 2012
• Obama’s mixed approach of coercion and collaboration seems to be working, but that may not last.
• 1 Comments

• Column: Housing Policy Deserves a Demotion
• Oct 31, 2011
• GOVERNING Publisher Emeritus Peter Harkness says it may be time for government to get out of the business of promoting homeownership.
• 2 Comments

• Severe Budget Cuts Ahead
• Aug 31, 2011
• With stimulus funding gone, a misinformed citizenry is unprepared for the funding cuts on the horizon.

• Cities Must Find the Economy's Fix
• Jun 30, 2011
• With Washington paralyzed by its debt and states facing deficits, the pressure is on local governments to raise more revenue or make significant structural changes to reduce costs.
• 3 Comments

• The Truth about Bankruptcy
• Apr 29, 2011
• Exaggerating problems is more about politics than budget balancing.

• Public Servants as Public Enemy #1
• Feb 28, 2011
• At all levels, denigration of public service is a legacy of the recession.
• 18 Comments

• The Nation's Outlook on Trains
• Jan 1, 2011
• Bullet trains may be sidetracked, but not commuter rail.
• 8 Comments