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To accommodate tomorrow's governments, we need leaders who excel at innovating and getting results, not climbing ladders.
Plus: Learning from successes, and more management news
When public officials fear bad press, it dampens innovation. Here are five principles to help leaders embrace change.
They're the hottest topic in budget-balancing and deficit-cutting circles. They are also the least understood and the most controversial.
Such partisan domination can cause concern for the future of the minority party.
Due to restrictive rules, money for urgent seismic repairs eludes California schools.
Once again, BATSA is proposed in the House. Under Republican control, it might have better luck.
Can the Donald Trumps of the world translate their private-sector successes to the public sector?
Credit union officials in Rhode Island are having discussions on a potential PLS pilot, while a few states are considering legislation allowing for such programs.
Republicans tried to paint Scott Walker as an expert at solving state budget woes. Democrats portrayed Peter Shumlin as an alternative to Walker. Congress challenged both of their approaches.
Data from the Tax Foundation and a recent ALEC study suggests that broad competitiveness policies can help fuel economic growth.
A study from the Pew Center on the States finds that more than four in 10 offenders return to prison within three years. The report comes at a time when prison spending has spiked over the years.
To prevent deficits, states and localities would have to reduce expenditures or increase revenues by about 12.5 percent.
Congress should not make all municipal debt taxable -- just provide the option.
Public employers need preemptive cost-control strategies.
As revenues return, legislators and policymakers are beginning to take stock of how well their rainy day funds functioned.
Sekou Biddle tells Governing what the experience was like and why he says the federal budget compromise is bad for D.C.
If we want public service to be better, we need to change our discourse on public servants.
If we want to change the performance of the public sector, we have to challenge the current perception of public service.
The war on drugs rattles the U.S.-Mexico border as illicit drug use in the U.S. rises and cartels infiltrate American law enforcement.
When a child is hurt, punishment seems to be the go-to response. But pursuing that direction has serious consequences.
The plan could save $60 million annually in denied payments.
They're pushing Washington to focus on customs officers instead of Border Patrol.
Nevada Legislature could pass legislation to help victims of sex trafficking clear criminal records.
After steadily inching upward, the average pay for states' chief executives slid a bit in 2010.
Plan would freeze spending at 2008 levels for five years, remove transportation as a priority.
Trash collection would stop and libraries would close in the nation's capital.
The humble project plan can help avoid the anguish that comes with a poorly envisioned project.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s new law aims to reduce overcrowding, but the program lacks funding support and local sheriffs fear they’ll pay the price.
Let's put "total compensation" to the test — and into the law — to debunk the myths on both sides.
States may have to develop plans for employees funded by federal dollars.
Plus: An update on government swag, and more management news
Local leaders differ on whether government-branded freebies and trinkets are worth the money.
First in a 3-part exposé on the harmful effects of the miracle drug called Accountability
Design Director David Kidd followed Staff Writer John Buntin as they experienced life as a volunteer in Redlands, Calif., a place where volunteers take on jobs the city can't afford.
New policies seek to reduce false convictions by making witness IDs more reliable.
When the latest round of bipartisan budget talks crumbled, Brown paid a visit to his new favorite stop: YouTube.
Energy management and sustainability is a rapidly expanding policy arena for local governments.
Jason Helgerson, formerly Wisconsin's Medicaid director, came to New York to help control costs.
Performance measurement isn't a once-a-year event -- it's an ongoing process.
Many question health-care reform's status -- but it's still law, and likely will remain so.
Police officials say the problems with tracking Internet phone calls are so prevalent that the federal government should step in.
Credit unions want permission to award cash and prizes to customers who save.
The recent economic crisis suggests that state lotteries and other forms of gambling may not be the predictable cash cows they once were.
Proposals in states like Washington and North Dakota aim to streamline education from pre-k to Ph.D.
This is the time for state and local leaders to take a 'no new spending' pledge.
There's more to keeping in touch with constituents than public hearings.
Most experts agree little is being done to make cities more age-friendly, but some cities are taking steps.
Calling the gas tax a 'user fee' is logically and factually wrong.
Almost a third of the state's workforce is neither a knowledge worker or a service worker. How will the state train and create jobs for this sect of the workforce?
Stalled energy projects drive up costs in a state already plagued by excessive debt, but is there a quick fix?
How to foster transparency initiatives that illuminate and motivate citizen engagement.
How? Foster transparency initiatives that make data actionable.
For e-health records to work, physicians need to be brought online.
Angry voters are increasingly using recall elections to remove local leaders.
While critics question the fairness of the bail bonds industry, proponents argue that its services save states money and keep defendants from fleeing.
State Rep. Aaron Peña represents part of the state that is 90 percent Hispanic. Why does he support Voter ID?
State and local governments are fending for themselves in
unprecedented and imaginative ways. Things will never be
quite the same.
In October 1987, the first-ever issue of Governing debuted with a cover story on how in 1980, power and responsibility shifted from the federal government to the state and local level. Now, the same process is taking place again -- but from the states to cities and counties.
States are asking cities to take charge of more programs, but they may not provide enough support.
Volunteers are taking on jobs once performed by public employees.
Business leaders and the Mormon Church helped one of the nation's most conservative states enact a compromise immigration package.
Innovation potential exists when technologies outstrip management's ability to put them to good use.
Cannon Beach, Ore., aims to get the nation’s first tsunami evacuation building off the ground by 2014.
If retail stores can issue them, then the government can too. At least that's what one think tank says.
While Republicans cruised to victory in both 1994 and 2010, the class of freshman governors elected in 2010 has proven to be strikingly different, at least for now.
The bottom line: A performance measurement agenda must co-exist with pressures to reduce spending and shortfalls.
Will the president's performance measurement efforts be used to balance the budget, or to fund successful programs?
Once dismissed as a relic, Maryland's all-payer rate setting system is getting a second look.
Read more about developments in government transparency in Illinois, Hawaii and Virginia in this news roundup.
Lawmakers can steer clear of costly and politically embarrassing boondoggles while devoting scarce funds to their most promising new programs.
A new program in Hawaii high schools shows students what their life could be like if they don’t improve their grades.
Cities in Arizona and Florida spend millions to host baseball teams during spring training. Is it worth it?
This political committee launches as Republican governors across the country launch broadsides against public employee unions.
BFC Contributor Stephen Goldsmith's column in the Wall Street Journal outlines how the legacy rules of the Progressive Era are crippling government operations.
With some 5,000 miles of Pacific Ocean between Japan and California, public health officials say there’s no reason for concern.
As tax dollars for popular green energy incentives skyrocket, money for schools and health care is harder to find.
We've made it so difficult to access certain government services that we've ended up spawning entirely unnecessary industries.
In a new report, Texas and Kentucky get high marks, while Maine is criticized for lack of transparency.
On quakes, tsunamis and radiation leaks, one expert says, "the U.S. is not nearly as well prepared as Japan was."
Congressional panel says Treasury Department found running HAMP to be an "overwhelming" task.
When employees have a line of sight, they can see the connection between their everyday work, and something larger.
Instead of thinking of how they can go green for less, local governments are jumping through expensive state and federal hoops.
Many still use Ponzi-like accounting, but pension funds are not Ponzi schemes.
New tiers for new hires don't move the dial enough on trillion-dollar deficits.
Plus: Who to follow on Twitter, and more management news
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez was removed from office in a recall election this week. A few years ago, GOVERNING's Richard Greene and Katherine Barrett interviewed Alvarez on what it's like to be Miami's first strong mayor.
Citizens that upload vital information into online profiles allow emergency call centers to improve their speed and quality of assistance.
In a year when severe budget cuts are on the table, states are rethinking film tax-credit programs.
Across the state, budget cuts threaten stability of programs and services that benefit children in need.
Real increases in both effectiveness and efficiency are waiting to be harvested. This is unlikely to happen, however, if the system isn't driven to do so.
The program's aim is to help teachers broaden and deepen their ability to use student data to improve instruction and learning.
States could get exemptions from the Affordable Care Act -- provided they provide the same level of coverage.
Mayors say Chicago's new leader could provide them with valuable connections and provide a national voice on municipal issues.
Population decline will require "rethinking how we do almost everything," says Mayor Francis Slay.
Trucking jobs might take a hit. But trade advocates say there's an even greater upside.
Some argue that the municipal bond market's recent upheaval is the fault of a single 60 Minutes segment.
Advocates of smaller government might have an opportunity to reduce the number of seats in state legislatures, but such proposals face a challenging path to enactment.
Tablets are opening large quantities of previously inaccessible time for new activities. Here are four ideas on how to use this time productively.
Will the iPad, and competing tablet computers, help us manage information overload or add to the distractions?
Adult education throughout the state feels the burns of harsh budget cuts.
Unless we get past the political food fight, we won t get to the important issues that are at stake.
Square codes on building permits allows passersby to learn more about construction via their smartphones.
Just 15 percent have raised property tax rates. Instead, they're cutting services and cutting personnel.
As state and local human services departments pinch pennies, they'll also be looking to cinch fraud.
Can Iowa's Charter Agencies initiative create more public value and help close the budget gap better than regular agencies? We believe the answer is a resounding "Yes."
The technology cuts phone bills and makes waiting 'on hold' a thing of the past.
Local governments lack sufficient tools to prevent foreclosures, so they're following the fight closely.
The transportation secretary says America is ready for rail, even though governors are turning down funding.
Republican leaders from Idaho and Utah testify against the Bureau of Land Management's new policy on "wild lands."
If you want performance management to really take hold in your organization, take visible steps to move your organization toward a performance-based culture.
If you want performance management to really take hold in your organization, follow these 6 tips.
Airline tickets to and from rural areas are becoming more expensive. Without a federal program that gives millions to airlines, they could be even worse.
USA Today finds a $2,500 gap between public- and private-sector compensation.
The theory seems to be that automation is a bad thing because it eliminates good jobs. Inefficiency, however, simply isn't good public policy.
When legislators need nonpartisan reports, Dartmouth students do the legwork.
Plus: Police Unions in Wisconsin, And More Management News
The president makes his case for investments at a time when governors are refusing federal money.
The interdepartmental system will make permitting quicker, more efficient and paperless.
Former City Councilmember Jean Quan hopes to make her office more accessible and transparent.
When state legislatures pass new programs but don't fund them, they may do more harm than good.
Former city councilmember Jean Quan hopes to make her office more accessible and transparent.
History says cities and states can look to the feds for a fiscal rescue plan.
Times are tough for libraries. To keep the doors open, one city is turning its operations over to the county.
Can self-service laptop dispensers help libraries offer more public computers?
While the feds struggle with their own assessment of the chemical, several states enact bans.
Different circumstances and a favorable political climate make school vouchers more attractive than before.
Legislators are trying to pass laws requiring immigration checks, but they're running into resistance from the people who would enforce them.
States have cut mental health funding by more than $2 billion. Things may get worse this year.
City motorists need to remember that streets aren't just for cars anymore.
In his State of the Union speech, President Obama was using the language of economic investment -- language mayors and governors use all the time.
States are in the stages of developing "environmental literacy plans," which could help student engagement and achievement.
Public libraries are now the place to stretch your mind and body.
Public safety workers and the Federal Communications Commission have feuded over the future of a section of broadcast spectrum known as "D Block."
At all levels, denigration of public service is a legacy of the recession.
Eco-friendly fleets aren't all stalled, but they've shifted to a lower gear.
When it comes to easing inept teachers out of the classroom, Toledo has been charting the way.
When it comes to easing inept teachers out of the classroom, Toledo has been charting the way.
While the feds struggle with their own assessmetn of the chemical, several states enact bans.
Even if legislators pass laws requiring immigration checks, they run into resistance from the people who would enforce it.
Different circumstances and a more favorable political landscape bring new attention to school vouchers.
Over the past three years, states have cut mental health funding by more than $2 billion. Things may get worse this year.
Voting by mail is popular in the states that allow it. But some states are hesitant to make such a switch.
City mayors are ratcheting up the rhetoric as they combat GOP cuts.
