Archive
The idea behind Social Impact Bonds is fairly simple. Instead of paying for effort, governments pay only for measureable results.
A program to treat, rather than jail, the mentally ill in Colorado has saved the county and state $600,000.
New government leaders will learn reorganizations have little to do with the work of their agencies.
The battle over public sector unions in Madison has thrust state legislators into the limelight. Meet some of the players in this slideshow.
Critics say new oversight rules would make volunteering an onerous process.
An approach with specific, concrete steps to assessing the effectiveness of government programs.
When states and cities respond to record budget shortfalls with across-the-board cuts, some vital public services unnecessarily end up on the chopping block.
The new head of the National Association of Medicaid Directors discusses the challenges of heath reform.
Some leaders are now hoping to apply the techniques used by the stimulus bill's auditors to others areas of government.
Former Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh’s retirement kicked off a number of GOP pickups and a longing for a new Democratic figurehead.
The new twist to innovation awards these days is to spark innovation by offering a reward to solve previously unsolved problems.
Despite public pension lobbyists' claims to the contrary, here's the true cost of pension plans to taxpayers.
How federalism is being redefined, and how states got to this point.
What are the forces behind the contentious current fight to redefine federalism?
The White House's plan to cut more than $2.5 billion from a program that helps poor people pay for heating and cooling bills may leave millions out of luck, advocates say.
Maryland Gov. O'Malley, Sec. Sebelius, and economist Mark Zandi shared their fiscal and political forecasts at the 2011 Outlook on the States and Localities conference. Their remarks are now available online.
Actively engaging the crowd, even if it's sometimes rowdy, can actually enhance government's problem-solving ability.
Does taxing food partially or not at all make sense politically or fiscally? One University of Connecticut law professor says it doesn't.
Plus: Watching California's Jerry Brown, and more management news
CDBG isn't the only local program getting cut. Learn about funding that's in jeopardy for affordable housing, historic preservation and other areas.
Will spending cuts lead to greater efficiencies? Or merely a reduction in services?
An Arizona Department of Transportation pilot allows produce trucks from Mexico to enter the state with more cargo, helping expedite crossings.
When lobbyists play the influence game, a lot is at stake. Conflict of interest is becoming an issue of public concern -- even at the local level. The Sunlight Foundation rounds up the latest local transparency efforts.
President Obama proposed cutting $300 million from CDBG, a favorite program among mayors. Saving it had been one of their biggest priorities for 2011.
The Tax Credits for Working Families website compiles information on federal and state tax credits available.
The proposed cuts would be the largest reduction in discretionary spending in the country’s history.
Eminem's co-star in Chrysler's Super Bowl spot was the Fox Theatre, a Detroit landmark that was saved by a multi-million dollar preservation effort.
Colorado's Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams decided to not run for a third term, crystallizing cleavages in state GOPs that could risk their majority party status.
What this year's most popular commercials can teach us about government management.
Witnesses disagree over whether state bankruptcy is a viable option, but Rep. Patrick McHenry says one thing is for sure: States aren't getting a bailout.
Californians for Public Union Reform seeks to end collective bargaining for public employees.
A new online tool in North Carolina provides a systematic approach in analyzing financial conditions for local governments.
An attempt to give itself veto power over any enactment of Congress exemplifies a renewed activism toward the U.S. Constitution that has been emerging among conservatives in Virginia and other state legislatures.
It is a governor's greatest tool in leveraging change and innovation.
How governors spend money is their most powerful lever to prioritize, make performance consequential and move agencies and stakeholders from frustration to innovation.
To reach all their clients, state human services officials say technology and less rules and regulations are key.
FY 2011 funding would be cut by 17 percent in those areas under Republican plan
State legislatures are on the front line of government and have a profound impact on how innovative state government is or isn't.
Even discussing the issue will make borrowing more expensive, governors and legislators tell Congress.
A new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts compares city councils nationwide on factors like average salaries and tenures of their members.
A pilot in Mississippi will determine if constant electronic surveillance can help cut correction costs and crime.
Cindi Ross Scoppe, a columnist with The State, South Carolina's largest daily newspaper, is the recipient of the eighth annual Hal Hovey-Peter Harkness Award, presented by Governing for outstanding coverage of state and local government.
The HHS secretary said a federal judge's ruling against the administration's health reform law is "a case of judicial overreach."
Economist Mark Zandi told GOVERNING's Outlook conference that GDP is growing, but that doesn't mean state and local governments will be able to increase expenditures.
Designing a compensation system that is both fair and promotes efficiency is a real challenge.
At GOVERNING's annual Outlook conference, states' looming 2012 budget crisis took center stage, but Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley offered advice for making smart fiscal decisions.
In this age of measuring results, has evaluating a program's success become black and white?
What if a program is not producing the results desired? Should state and local officials immediately scrap it?
Plus: Good News for Counties, And More Management News
Local leaders have a new ally in their fight for a larger chunk of the broadband network.
State and local government should look at cloud computing as an emerging technology that has the potential to significantly streamline the way they use technology to deliver public services
This is the question the Maryland State Highway Administration hopes to answer with a one-year pilot program.
Some Republican governors are open to raising some taxes.
Philadelphia has one of the nation's best snow-response efforts. Mayor Michael Nutter explains how it all goes down.
A new website helps taxpayers, legislators and transportation partners track the Idaho Transportation Department's progress in nine performance areas.
Just one month into 2011, ten police officers have been fatally shot.
Indiana's health information exchanges show what electronic medical records can do.
Mike Flood, a lawyer and broadcaster, leads the nation's only unicameral Legislature.
With health care driving state spending, a focus on quality care could cut costs.
Small loans help cities and counties make initial investments in money-saving technology.
Louisiana learns to use information about its students to create real-life benefits for them.
To cut costs and save face, all of Chicago's police misconduct cases are going to trial instead of settling out of court.
Interest in cities that have fallen on hard times in the Midwest and Northeast brings new cachet to living and working in the Rust Belt.
Infrastructure projects were once largely bipartisan, but such efforts have been tied up in partisan battles over the role of government.
The National Alzheimer's Project Act incorporates the state perspective in implementation.
More states are allowing patrons to bring guns into bars, but what effect will the laws actually have?
States are unhappy with Medicaid costs, but they’re not willing to surrender federal incentives to cut them.
A U.S. PIRG report says gas taxes and other user fees don’t cover the cost of building and maintaining our nation’s highways, roads and streets.
Regions have supplanted cities as the nation's economic centers. Local tax structures don't recognize this shift.
Now that Republicans control the U.S. House and state legislatures, more business-friendly food safety measures may be on the table.
A list of priorities and issues helps public officials remember what really matters in tough fiscal times.
Why are some state efficiency commissions helpful in streamlining government and others an expensive waste of time?
This photo gallery spotlights New York City's first and only water filtration plant, which will sit below a golf course in the Bronx.
With stormwater a major pollutant, cities are coming up with innovative "gray" and "green" ways to control its impact.
Cost-savings ideas that don't come at the expense of a good education.
A few promising approaches to finding cost savings without cutting student services.
Forget the border wall. Leaders see economic development opportunities in opening and updating international bridges.
Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher Koller set out to transform an industry.
A checklist for your first 90 days.
Local leaders are engaging the White House in an all-out push to preserve current funding levels for community development block grants.
In 2008, states held their primary elections early because they wanted a greater say in choosing the candidates for president. For 2012, a number of factors have states looking at moving the dates back.
Allowing valet companies to operate stands in public parking spots will create jobs and make it easier for visitors to enjoy downtown attactions.
The president assured mayors that they've got a partner in the White House.
Public officials across the country are striving to promote healthier, sustainable food options.
The Los Angeles mayor warns localities to be strategic in their requests given that funding may be hard to come by this year.
At this week's U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup urged mayors to join him in signing a "civility accord."
In his State of the City address, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a major push to streamline government operations.
States must begin repaying the federal government for loans they took to pay unemployment benefits.
Keeping track of local government just got easier with the beta launch of OpenGovernment.org, a joint project of the Sunlight Foundation and the Participatory Politics Foundation.
West Des Moines, Iowa, may not seem a likely hot spot for public management innovation, but it thinks big when it comes to delivering value.
Social media is about more than socializing. It is a powerful tool for government to empower and mobilize its citizens.
The federal government had ended its billion dollar project to build a "virtual fence" on the Mexican border.
In California, it's "pension layoffs" vs. "pension attrition."
Some critics think state and federal lawmakers are too focused on things like mandating hands-free phones and outlawing texting while driving.
Plus: A Small Victory for Detroit, And More Management News
Some law enforcement agencies depend on computer software to create composites that allow them to pursue investigations.
The president and at least one GOP lawmaker are united in a push to cut millions from preservation grants.
To increase visitor traffic to downtown Scottsdale, Ariz., the city is adding a route to the city's trolley system to shuttle hotel and resort-dwelling tourists downtown.
The list of cities in fiscal stress is growing. Will states intervene to help them work out their fiscal problems?
In the contest to win the 2012 presidential election, each party will have to win the hearts of 10 states.
The crisis in public finances should prompt new ways of thinking about how services can be better at meeting people's needs for less money.
The one-contract-fits-all approach might be on the decline for governments looking to outsource public services to private companies.
New governors are being greeted by a flood of red ink and a public that doesn't trust the state governments they run.
A new study looks at the claim that highways pay for themselves in increased gas-tax revenues and other fees.
Some students from low-income families in Missouri will continue to receive meal-assistance during summer vacation this year thanks to a statewide food-security program.
The smartest investment a state can make is in its children and families. The best way to do that is through results-based government.
Executive Editor Jonathan Walters sheds light onto how he approached his January feature on cuts to fire departments as journalist and as a volunteer firefighter.
States say the new rule change in Congress will cause uncertainty in how money is distributed for roads projects.
By looking beyond the status quo, West Des Moines saved money and provided better service.
A majority of the 13 contests to be held over the next two years look competitive.
If Congressional appropriations go unspent, they can be a double-whammy for states and cities.
Vesting should not apply to future service.
Wall Street can't relieve budget-strapped public employers.
Has the 'by the numbers' approach worked in practice? Not surprisingly, the answer is yes in some instances and no in others.
Plus: Recommended reading, short-term thinking and more management news
Recent pay scandals have tested the public's trust in government.
ICMA's executive director discusses his organization's guidelines to ensuring fair compensation.
A provision of the federal financial reform law means added cost and workload for state governments.
In most American states, the job of secretary of state has long been seen as a largely non-partisan post, invested for the most part with administrative and caretaker duties. A new crop of activists is working hard to change that.
One correctional facility in Michigan is partnering with a local animal shelter to have inmates help develop shelter dogs into adoption-ready companions.
Keeping track of a sustainability project is hard enough. Imagine tracking more than 160 separate sustainability projects.
A guide to gathering the right data, and communicating a sustainability project's progress.
A sneak peek at the 2011 and 2012 gubernatorial campaign landscape.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is playing an extremely active role in local government affairs.
Attorneys general in several states are seeking to overturn the federal health-care law.
Two Missouri cities may soon be facing a huge drop in tax collections.
The Urban Living Lab will show real-world implications of energy-efficient technology.
As the feds help states and cities, a new relationship may be developing.
When the federal government starts reducing its deficit, watch out below!
Immigrant populations remain a key source of economic development for inner cities.
Cities are launching "boomerang" efforts to bring their young professionals back home.
America’s largest city shares lessons in urban renewal.
Former president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Jeff Johnson shares his thoughts on the firefighting game.
In small and large cities alike, firefighters have gone from heroes to
budget bait.
States with term-limited legislators are seeking ways to counteract the drawbacks of high turnover. Here, former Michigan state Sen. Dennis Olshove points to a picture of state Senators circa 2004, now out of office.
These topics will capture the attention of state legislators in 2011.
A dozen cab drivers in the Big Apple are getting bulletproof vests in an experiment to keep them safe during late-night shifts.
There are smarter, more effective and less expensive ways to reform misbehaving juveniles.
In these times of crisis, juvenile justice reform is politically saleable, cost effective and smart.
If cities are to see fewer dollars from states in these tough times, then they should see fewer rules too.
Now more than ever, state and local governments' programs only stay alive if they've proven themselves to be effective. But how do you really know a program is effective?
