Cover Story
Patience and Pragmatism Dominate Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s First 100 Days
BY Alan Greenblatt
For the first time in more than a century, Arkansas is completely controlled by Republicans. But the new governor has slowly and deliberately built bipartisanship in the legislature.
FEATURES
Politics
Gina Raimondo Confronts Rhode Island’s Uncertain Future
Rhode Island’s first female governor won support for her leadership during historic snowstorms, but it’s unclear whether courts or lawmakers will side with her on major pension and budget issues.
BY Daniel C. Vock
Management & Labor
Why Some Public Pensions Could Soon Look Much Worse
A Governing analysis shows how a new accounting rule dramatically changes some plans' pension liabilities and will likely force many states to finally face their obligations.
BY Liz Farmer, Mike Maciag
Urban
How Bloomberg’s Still Changing the Way Cities Operate
Bloomberg Philanthropies and other organizations have poured an unprecedented amount of money into making cities more innovative and collaborative. What happens when the money runs out?
BY J.B. Wogan
Public Safety & Justice
Aging Behind Bars
America's prison population has aged significantly, increasing the costs of incarceration. These four inmates show just some of the challenges older inmates bring.
BY Andrew Burton
OBSERVER
Education
Common Core Critics Are Loud But Losing
The nationwide pushback against the education standards hasn't been very successful.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Management & Labor
The City as Consultant
Most cities already freely share ideas with others, but some are starting to sell their best practices to other local governments.
BY J.B. Wogan
Politics
Why Some Lawmakers Want to Abolish the 17th Amendment
Adopted in 1913, it took the job of electing U.S. senators away from state legislatures.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Education
Traveling Theater Helps Communities Revisit Their Histories
In partnership with a theater company, Minnesota towns are staging on-the-go plays to tell their history.
BY Daniel Luzer
POLITICS + POLICY
Assessments
When Does Politicians' Unethical Behavior Become a Crime?
Over the past few decades, it’s become easier to convict public officials for corruption but harder to know who’s really guilty of it.
BY Alan Ehrenhalt
Washington Watch
Are States Still 'Labs of Democracy'?
The growing role of federal waivers suggest the answer isn't simple.
BY Donald F. Kettl
Health & Human Services
Why Medicaid Expansion Has Reached a Standstill
Republican governors who want to make more people eligible for the low-income health insurance program face daunting obstacles nationally and in their GOP-controlled legislatures.
BY Chris Kardish
Infrastructure & Environment
How the Most At-Risk Cities Are Preparing for More Power Outages
East Coast cities are expected to experience more hurricanes and more blackouts in the coming years.
BY Mary Ellen McIntire
Transportation & Infrastructure
How Airline Mergers and Deregulation Hurt Travel
It seems America has forgotten that air travel is supposed to serve the public.
BY Alex Marshall
Urban Notebook
The Future of Parking in an Era of Car-Sharing
Services like Uber and Zipcar could radically change city streets.
BY William Fulton
PROBLEM SOLVER
Public Safety & Justice
Case Closed? How 'Solved' Murder Stats Are Misleading
Homicide clearance rates don't always mean what they seem to mean.
BY Mike Maciag
Smart Management
HR Directors Get a Personnel Downgrade
Even though states spend more on payroll than anything else, many governors no longer look to human resources for advice on their workforce.
BY Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
On Leadership
The Most Important Question in Government
While politicians easily offer policy prescriptions, they often fail to ask how they will be paid for.
BY Mark Funkhouser
Tech Talk
New Apps May Make Giving and Getting Government Aid Easier
Mobile technology has made a belated but much needed debut in human services.
BY Tod Newcombe
Public Money
The ‘New Neutral’ Is Here
That’s bad news for those who manage public money.
BY Justin Marlowe
Infrastructure & Environment
The Town That Takes the Elevator Everywhere
Residents of Whittier, Alaska, have to take the elevator or stairs wherever they go in the wintertime.
BY David Kidd
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REPRINTS
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