FEATURES

• The Power and Danger of Setting Extreme Goals
• By: John Buntin
• Extreme goals are ambitious and attention grabbing. They also often seem impossible -- and that can be a problem.

• Veterans Seek Help from States and Localities
• By: Dylan Scott
• Some states and localities are stepping in to fill the void left by federal aid. One successful model is emerging in Utica, N.Y.

• The 'B' Word: Is Municipal Bankruptcy's Stigma Fading?
• By: Liz Farmer
• There's a growing sense among some leaders that municipal bankruptcy -- unthinkable just a few years ago -- may be a valuable tool.

• Management Fads That Make a Difference
• By: Jonathan Walters
• New management tools are a dime a dozen and often just old strategies with fancy new names. But a few do make measurable differences.

• Will the Next NYC Mayor Continue Bloomberg's Urban Planning Legacy?
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• Under Bloomberg, the cityscape has been reshaped in unprecedented ways.

POLITICS + POLICY

• To Promote Health Exchanges to the Public, States Get Creative
• By: Dylan Scott
• As many as 20 million Americans are supposed to enroll in the online marketplaces and purchase health insurance this year. But many people still aren't aware that the exchanges even exist.

• Cities Rethink Gun Buyback Programs
• By: J.B. Wogan
• The programs were found to be ineffective in reducing violent crime, but cities are revisiting -- and in some cases, revamping -- them in the wake of last year's mass shootings.

• Some State Legislators Want to Work More, Not Less
• By: J.B. Wogan
• Four state legislatures meet every other year instead of annually. Lawmakers in North Dakota and Texas want to leave biennial budgeting in the past.

• Report Grades Cities’ Spending Transparency Websites
• By: Mike Maciag

• The Mayor Had Chutzpah
• By: Tod Newcombe

• The Tricky Business of Commercial Advertising in Public Places
• By: Paul W. Taylor
• Public transit systems have accepted advertising for a long time. But it’s not always without controversy.

• Federalism from the Bottom Up
• By: Peter Harkness
• More than ever, the feds need states and local regions to take the lead in crafting promising new programs.

• 'Zombie' Estate Taxes Appear Dead for Good
• By: Ryan Holeywell

• Communities Fill Dental-Coverage Holes
• By: David Levine
• Rather than wait for lawmakers and insurers to provide adequate coverage, some dentists and public health advocates have taken it upon themselves to try to reduce the number of ER visits for dental problems.

• Indianapolis Aims to Have 1st All-Green Fleet
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• The city has a bold plan to make every vehicle in its fleet, including police cars, run on alternative fuels.

• Why States Keep Playing the Losing Tax-Incentive Game
• By: William Fulton
• Elected officials and experts aren’t sure if tax breaks actually create jobs. So why do they keep offering millions of dollars worth of subsidies to companies?

• New Funding Model Needed for Urban Parks
• By: Tod Newcombe

PROBLEM SOLVER

• States Experience Disparity in Police Fatality Rates as Agencies Target Safety
• By: Mike Maciag

• Why Haven’t States and Localities Capitalized on Great Management Ideas?
• By: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
• When management meets politics, management is generally the loser. What can policymakers do to heighten the chances that a reform will, at least, be given the opportunity to succeed or fail?

• A Transportation Funding Power Shift
• By: Mark Funkhouser

• Online Registration Helped Increase California’s Youth Vote
• By: Steve Towns
• If there was any doubt about citizen desire to register online, California’s one-month experience with it running up to the November general election erased it.

• New Rules Could Clear the Path to Pension Reform
• By: Charles Chieppo
• For most states, the new government accountability rules eliminate the main substantive barrier to moving toward less costly defined-contribution plans.

Training Opportunities

• Health Care Reform After the Decision
• In this Mercer Report, you’ll learn how different organizations plan to tackle the new requirements of ACA and discover where most employer concerns are focused, who expects to be hardest hit, and how different health plans and Medicaid may impact overall costs.
• Crime Prediction and Prevention


• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality