Authors

Management & Labor

A new study shows the depth -- and the root causes -- of the public sector's workforce problem.

GOVERNING Equipt

Cities have come a long way in using data to inform decision-making, but progress can still be made.

Workforce

This form of pay inequity, referred to as salary inversion, is making it difficult to fill supervisor positions in the public sector.

Smart Management

The amount of missing and unusable public-sector data is stunning.

Workforce

Protesting teachers likely won't be the only public employees who see pay raises and workplace improvements this year.

Workforce

The government shutdown exposed the financial insecurity and stress of many public servants.

Smart Management

It’s getting harder for the people who check up on government to do their jobs.

Workforce

Women are less likely than men to aspire for and occupy top jobs. They're also less optimistic about their chances of moving up at all.

Workforce

To address sexual harassment, it needs to be reported. State employees have been hesitant to do that.

Smart Management

Once used only to manage infrastructure, GIS now deals with all kinds of data.

Workforce

The Supreme Court’s ruling was expected to diminish union membership. But so far, many unions have actually increased their numbers since the verdict. Conservative groups are working to reverse that trend in the long run.

Smart Management

As Maryland has learned, it’s crucial to know the costs of proposed legislation.

Management & Labor

For one, don’t assume the last governor’s appointees want to leave.

Workforce

The state's new approach to the workplace goes far beyond traditional telecommuting. It's not only making employees and managers happier, it's saving the state millions of dollars.

Smart Management

Ironically, it can happen because managers skip steps in an effort to go faster.

Management & Labor

The governor wants to downsize the number of cabinet-level agencies by more than half -- without laying people off.

Workforce

At a time of low unemployment, both kinds of employers are beefing up their perks.

Smart Management

Graphic displays of information are useful only if they’re seen.

Workforce

The digital age, new laws and recent events have created tension between government's transparency and the privacy of the people who work for it.

Workforce

A year filled with teacher strikes and sexual harassment scandals has led candidates for governor to talk more about how they would treat their state's workforce.

Smart Management

Procurement officers are having to get more active -- and more creative -- to find companies willing to work with the public sector.

Workforce

North Carolina Republicans overrode the Democratic governor to increase some state employees' pay. What led to this unexpected decision?

Workforce

"If you want to have an influence on policy, then the best way to do so is by being an elected official."

Smart Management

There’s a long list of government agencies that have fudged numbers in misleading ways.

Workforce

From banning certain hiring questions to opening up pay discussions between coworkers, states and municipalities are addressing years of inequality.

Workforce

Just over two weeks since the Janus ruling, about a third of the affected states have taken actions meant to soften its impact on unions' membership and revenue.

Smart Management

Lots have passed their sell-by date.

Workforce

States across the country are struggling to staff their prisons and jails. The shortages are costing them in overtime -- and lives lost when inmates riot against conditions likely worsened by overworked guards.

Workforce

Some are changing their applications. Others are instituting "tryouts."

Smart Management

A growing number of states are limiting access to them.

Management & Labor

Massachusetts' comptroller thinks so.

Management & Labor

It's about much more than low salaries.

Smart Management

Project delays are a huge problem. “Sourcing teams” could be one solution.

Management & Labor

Tips from a cybersecurity expert.

Management & Labor

People who work for the Trump administration and Congress members aren't the only government employees being asked to sign legally questionable contracts to keep secrets.

Smart Management

Most of the problems are rooted in false or missing data.

Workforce

The issue that led West Virginia teachers to walk out may be boiling over elsewhere as states neglect workers' benefits, sometimes causing financial and medical hardship for public servants.

Management & Labor

When an agency head leaves, some states take years to find a permanent replacement. What takes so long?

Commentary

Too many state licensing boards are not fulfilling their objectives, yet, more are popping up.

Finance

Much like President Trump, many U.S. cities make an effort to use the goods and services of companies in their own city limits. It has some troubling side effects.

Workforce

When pension reform happens, new workers often carry the biggest financial burden. But they don't always have to.

Management & Labor

When vacancies are high, there are consequences -- and many places are feeling them.

Commentary

There are a lot of big issues facing officials in 2018. The biggest is funding.

Smart Management

Public-sector unions are becoming more altruistic. They may need to be.

Smart Management

As sexual harassment allegations take down powerful politicians, states and cities are revisiting their training and policies for the bureaucrats who have far less power but keep the government running.

Commentary

It makes rational sense, but people find many reasons to be wary -- even high school football rivalries.

Smart Management

In what some say is a first in the world, D.C.'s latest venture gives taxi drivers new business and simultaneously cuts its own costs.

Smart Management

The David Bohnett Foundation is funding a pipeline -- albeit, small -- of young people who want to work in local government.

Smart Management

Program evaluation offices have yet to become common throughout government -- and where they do exist, many lawmakers don't know about them.

Smart Management

It's hard to get people to follow their local government on Facebook or Twitter. A few cities are using their employees' personal accounts to connect with more residents.

Smart Management

Better data is helping schools find new ways to keep kids in classrooms.

Management & Labor

Governments in recent years have shifted more and more of the burden of health-care premiums on to employees themselves.

Management & Labor

Public-sector unions are already preparing for a potential exodus of members and a loss of revenue. Can they survive without charging mandatory fees?

Smart Management

As Governing celebrates its 30th anniversary, here's a few predictions for the next three decades.

Smart Management

Sometimes you have to be the bad cop. Throwing out stereotypes about millennials is a good idea, too.

Smart Management

Many governments hope so, as they add benefits like napping pods and kid-friendly workplaces to keep employees happy.

Smart Management

Budget cuts and political retaliation, they say, are endangering their jobs and their ability to uncover information.

Smart Management

The recruiting tactic may grow as baby boomers leave more job vacancies.

Smart Management

Governments are starting to realize that cybersecurity isn't just the responsibility of the IT department.

Smart Management

Broken links, outdated information and mysterious abbreviations are just a few of the problems.

Smart Management

“As far as I know, we’re the only state doing this,” says Gov. Terry McAuliffe's chief of staff.

Smart Management

Human tragedy comes with the badge -- but help dealing with it often doesn't.

Smart Management

You can’t run public agencies like private companies, but you can borrow ideas from them.

Smart Management

Public employees are often resistant to technological change. In some cases, it's their employers' fault.

Smart Management

The option is catching on among public-sector employers as a way to attract and retain employees.

Smart Management

Purchasing has become more complex, which is why managers want critical thinking to lead the process.

Management & Labor

Women working in public administration make, on average, 25 percent -- or $16,900 -- less than men.

Smart Management

Diversity has a lot of benefits, but achieving it isn't as easy as it sounds.

Smart Management

They fool some of the people most of the time.

Smart Management

Public service students appear to be shying away from working in government, possibly worsening the sector's longtime hiring struggle.

Smart Management

From promises of pay raises to warnings of cutbacks, State of the State speeches offer a peek into their priorities for the year.

Smart Management

We asked, and they told us.

Smart Management

Studies show that the people just joining the workforce may present a different set of challenges and opportunities than their predecessors.

Smart Management

Few state or local government employees have the benefit, but that's slowly changing -- and so are the circumstances for getting it.

Smart Management

Governors are slowly realizing that they need someone to take on the things they don’t have time for.

Smart Management

They have fewer free-speech rights than private workers, but what counts as a fireable offense is debatable.

Smart Management

It's a win-win: Employees grow their careers and the public sector grows, or at least maintains, its workforce.

Smart Management

Staff and budget shortages are mostly to blame.

Smart Management

Few governments have succession plans in place. The ones that do are seeing some positive results.

Smart Management

New governors can learn a thing or two from presidential transitions.

Smart Management

According to union officials and HR executives around the country.

Smart Management

Progress is slow. Our overly enthusiastic forecasts prove that.

Smart Management

Neil Reichenberg has devoted his career to helping the public sector hire and keep employees.

Smart Management

They often fall under the radar, but compacts are becoming a top tool for managing interstate issues.

Smart Management

Turnover in the field has reached crisis levels in some places, forcing them to figure out how to hire and keep the right people.

Smart Management

Getting rid of paper applications speeds up the hiring process, but it can lead to the wrong people making the cut.

Smart Management

John Hickenlooper hopes to recruit high-level talent for the next generation of public officials.

Smart Management

Harvard and Bloomberg Philanthropies have teamed up to offer what they say is the first major effort to formally educate mayors about how to be more effective.

Smart Management

Public employers offer to help workers with nearly every aspect of their lives -- whether it's related to their finances or their marriage.

Smart Management

Whether it's prisons in Idaho or pensions in Michigan, several states are moving their outsourced services back in-house.

Smart Management

In Karen Thoreson's world, few things are ruled out as a possibility for improving public services.

Smart Management

Qualified -- and willing -- applicants have become increasingly hard for police departments to find.

Smart Management

The people who decide criminals’ freedom are often ill-equipped to make informed decisions. That’s where risk assessment tools come in, but they aren't always used.

Smart Management

Going online for public information isn't as easy as it should be.

Smart Management

States are increasingly creating specialized ombudsman offices to cater to citizens' complaints.

Smart Management

Chicago and many other municipalities are focusing on reforming the rigid and inconsistent rules of procurement.

Smart Management

Not for most local officials. But they may not all be using their time wisely.

Smart Management

More information isn't always better. Some things are better kept secret.

Smart Management

When a disaster strikes, skilled management can save lives and political futures.

Smart Management

In some statewide positions, people come and go fast, taking several keys to success when they leave.

Smart Management

Depending on whether you work for states and localities, the federal government or the private sector, your job satisfaction may differ.

Smart Management

Governments’ increasing reliance on special funds can put them in financial and legal trouble.

Smart Management

It depends on how governments use the results.

Smart Management

It's important to know when overtime is a smart financial decision and when it's better to send employees home.

Smart Management

Millions of disabled, sick and elderly people rely on medical transportation that can leave them stranded for hours in times of need.

Smart Management

The majority of employee complaints result from weak managerial skills. What's being done to address it?

Smart Management

The leaders of Georgia’s purchasing office on saving money, realizing the importance of data analysts and being underappreciated.

Smart Management

At least 20 states are developing performance-based systems for funding higher education. The impact varies widely from state to state.

Smart Management

There's a long-standing rivalry between the people who do performance measurement and the people who evaluate programs.

Smart Management

We have to have them, so we might as well make them as productive as possible.

Smart Management

These are the top challenges governments will need to address in 2016.

Smart Management

To get people to teach in expensive or rural areas, some school districts are offering to help pay their rent or mortgage.

Smart Management

Their State of the State addresses offer a window into their to-do lists for the new year.

Smart Management

Employees are often overworked and undertrained, putting themselves and the inmates they're supposed to protect at risk.

Management & Labor

As states and localities have tried to modernize the way they attract and retain public workers, some best practices have emerged.

Smart Management

Most state budget offices have fewer employees and more work than they did a decade ago.

Smart Management

The people who probe governments' finances and effectiveness often have little power and are at risk of losing more, says Philadelphia Controller Alan Butkovitz.

Smart Management

Many states and cities get hung up on low prices and fail to consider a company's performance when deciding whether to contract with them.

Smart Management

Budgets aren't as transparent as they could be. There are ways (some simpler than others) to fix that.

Smart Management

A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

From city managers to auditors, local officials offer ways to fix data collection.

Smart Management

Gary Blackmer talks about auditing police, changes in the field and the toughest parts of the job.

Smart Management

States often fail to finish their annual reports in time for them to even matter. Some have found ways to speed up the process.

Smart Management

The state’s successful civil service reforms offer lessons for other governments.

Smart Management

Many states struggle to know how much property they have and how best to use it. Some, though, are fixing the problem -- and it's saving them money.

Smart Management

A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Most have evolved toward a no-kill policy but lack the money or resources to keep every animal alive and well.

Smart Management

Public employers can't legally get rid of their employees as easy as Trump and his private-sector peers can. But there are ways to make it easier.

Smart Management

Mediators can either make the already-uneasy relationship between reporters and public officials worse or better.

Smart Management

Government agencies can learn a lot from tracking and analyzing grievance claims.

Smart Management

For technology to meet its potential to transform health care, many barriers must be overcome.

Smart Management

A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Knowing why employees quit might keep others on the job, something governments struggle to do.

Smart Management

The media often ignores legislation related to government management, so we tracked down some of the year's highlights.

Smart Management

States are not the only ones to lack the data they need to make good government.

Smart Management

As the amount of data that governments accumulate grows, so does the need to disaggregate it.

Management & Labor

States and localities are embracing the promise of big data. But just how good is the information they’re collecting in the first place?

Smart Management

The guiding principles of improv comedy could help people in the public sector perform better.

Smart Management

Some argue it can be traced back to how departments evaluate their officers.

Smart Management

And without proof of its value, cash-strapped states are increasingly cutting training budgets.

Smart Management

A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

There are many ways numbers can be misleading. Here are a few.

Smart Management

License requirements are intended to improve the safety of services like nail salons. But in many other professions, the negative effects of licensing can outweigh the positive.

Smart Management

A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Government managers all appear to be speaking English, but the same words and phrases often have multiple, contradictory meanings.

Smart Management

Even though states spend more on payroll than anything else, many governors no longer look to human resources for advice on their workforce.

Smart Management

A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Many states have them, but few evaluate whether efficiency commissions are themselves efficient.

Smart Management

Most politicians fail to communicate the importance of policies to the public because they lack skills in the art of the anecdote.

Smart Management

A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

While most favor increasing transparency in tax incentives, some of the biggest players in state and local government have spoken out against the latest proposal.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Each are crucial for states and localities to address this year.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

An impromptu survey reveals what public officials worry most about and what makes them optimistic about the future.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

The transition from one administration to the next sets the tone for a new governor. But there are ways to mess it up.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Some governments are going back to measuring employees' quantity of output instead of quality.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

There are financial and educational benefits to merging small school districts, yet it's almost always a hard sell.

Smart Management

Plus more public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Many state and local agencies fail to properly oversee waiting lists for government programs.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

From guns to backhoes to vehicles, many municipalities struggle to keep track of their inventories.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Oregon’s workers’ compensation reform shows benchmarking (when done right) can lead to big gains in efficiency.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Elected officials have a tendency to promise big savings and painless cuts that often don’t turn out how they hoped.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

When students from abroad attend American universities, their ideas enrich us.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Yes, it’s been a boon for government work, but it also opens the door to conflict and confusion.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

In its 25 years, the Internet has drastically changed how government works.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

The turnover rate among young state employees is rising. Raising pay might be a way to change that, but it’s not a practical one.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Should governments emulate the business practice of Fortune 500 companies?

Smart Management

Open government is often more rhetoric than reality.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

It's not black and white, but understanding the pros and cons increases your chances of coming to the right answer for a particular project.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Beyond fear of disclosure, there are a number of reasons states and localities may not want to engage in benchmarking.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Thanks to recent revenue increases, some states are unfreezing public workers’ pay for the first time since before the recession. But looking at pay levels rather than total compensation hides a great deal of the story.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Although not every city and state is eager to form inspector general offices -- New York City leaders, for example, are currently debating the benefits of one for the police department -- the trend toward more of them has been steady.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you should know.

Smart Management

All the public-sector management news you need to know.

Smart Management

Public-sector management news you should know.

Public Great

A text message conversation about how once management fads fade, the best concepts remain.

Smart Management

Coordination between public agencies and utilities will keep streets from being torn up, again and again.

Smart Management

Plus: the misconception about failure and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: a great resource for child welfare workers and more management news

Smart Management

In the past three years, states and cities have brought in billions of dollars in additional user fees. But there are pitfalls to this form of revenue boost.

Smart Management

Plus: the message that "out of office" replies convey and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: The importance of parks and more management news

Smart Management

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?

Columns

Plus: why Portland, Ore., may no longer be a leader in transit planning and more management news

Columns

Plus: how a transit authority transformed itself and more management news

Smart Management

There's a new push to get these 2,000 international partnerships working together on concrete development programs.

Columns

Plus: a guide for successful collaboration and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: government's ongoing war against “the bad guys” and more management news

Columns

Take weatherization. It’s harder than advertised to come up with an easy way to assess the program’s success.

Columns

Plus: the importance of IT training and more management news

Columns

Giving preference to women- or minority-owned businesses is a widely acceptable social policy that can run into management problems.

Smart Management

Plus: 4 questions to ask before sharing services and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Finding Medicaid waste and more management news

Smart Management

Instead of simply preselecting private- or public-sector employees, managed competition means projects can be put out for bid with both groups competing for work.

Smart Management

Plus: The impact of postponed retirement and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Advice for the public sector from the private sector and more management news

Smart Management

Less than a decade after the state enacted its first real performance measurement plan, it -- like a number of other similar programs in the states -- has fallen on hard times.

Smart Management

Plus: The unpredictable costs of trauma care, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: When cuts come to cops, and more management news

Smart Management

Governments are struggling with how to properly manage sick leave to prevent employees from abusing it.

Smart Management

Plus: The return of the Manager's Reading List, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Illegal pension recipients, and more management news

Smart Management

The concept of sharing unspent dollars with other employees and agencies saves governments money but is often ignored when budgets are the smallest.

Smart Management

Plus: Getting data right on teachers, and more management news

Smart Management

B&G readers weigh in on whether requiring doctors' notes will cut down on absenteeism.

Smart Management

Plus: The problems with digital textbooks and more management news

Smart Management

The average citizen isn’t interested in government-tracked measurements. But if it’s results-based data that directly affects their lives, they might be.

Smart Management

Plus: A well-written plea for audtiting, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Questions about restructuring, and more management news

Smart Management

Quality measures are transforming everything from billing practices to patient behavior.

Smart Management

Plus: Life in the 'burbs, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Patient-ranked doctors and more management news

Smart Management

Many governments have shifted into reverse, cutting and even eliminating auditing offices.

Smart Management

Plus: A scathing Rhode Island audit, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Wise words from a former dicator, and more management news

Smart Management

The technology is there, but many state and local agencies still aren’t using it.

Smart Management

Should governments count paid leave toward overtime?

Smart Management

Plus: Linking forms and outcomes, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Getting it right on overtime, and more management news

Smart Management

In tight times, governments push for more centralization. But it doesn’t always produce the positive results that are hoped for.

Smart Management

Plus: Tricky tax incentives, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: No love for committees, and more management news

Smart Management

Government efficiency initiatives come and go. But Utah has had continued success with one in particular.

Smart Management

Plus: A better way to rate hospital care, and more management news

Smart Management

Do public employee appraisals actually accomplish anything?

Smart Management

Plus: Employee self-motivation and more management news

Smart Management

How much fraud actually occurs is debatable, but the benefits of eliminating it are clear. And many governments are taking steps to stop schemes, scams and public-sector swindles.

Smart Management

Plus: Welfare rules in the 50 states, and more management news.

Smart Management

People have gradually lost trust in government. How can public leaders get it back?

Smart Management

Plus: Assessing corruption in the public sector, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Questions about pension investments, and more management news

Smart Management

Groups that assess the value of government programs inevitably make some enemies. That’s one reason the programs are always first on the chopping block.

Smart Management

Plus: The soothing power of shelter dogs, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Cheaper tech for schools, and more management news

Smart Management

Loopholes, unexpected expenses and glorified revenue predictions make balanced budgets an unattainable reality for some legislatures.

Smart Management

Plus: Defining a good boss, and more management news

Smart Management

Focusing on the budget minutiae, and more management news

Smart Management

States and cities are finding that even the simplest tasks, like switching to LED streetlight bulbs, can result in significant savings.

Smart Management

Plus: Emphasizing the individual, and more management news

Smart Management

Municipalities in more than a dozen states are using tools to gauge their courts’ speed, accessibility and reliability in administering justice.

Smart Management

B&G Readers sound off on whether it's okay to go up against the man or woman in charge.

Smart Management

Plus: Sounding off on disagreeing with the boss, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Misconduct in the school cafeteria, and more management news

Smart Management

When states determine to make some kind of cut with regard to agencies, it's important to differentiate between them.

Smart Management

Plus: Harmful transparency and more management news

Idea Center

The new website empowers citizens to make their decisions based on the issues and not the party that supports them.

Smart Management

Plus: Four-day school weeks and more management news

Smart Management

B&G readers sound off on their frustrations with on-the-job technology.

Smart Management

Employers can't pinpoint what the real value of retiree benefits is to them.

Smart Management

Plus: Shared services and more management news

Smart Management

A discussion with a veteran of local level public service.

Smart Management

Plus: Too much certainty, and more management news

Smart Management

The distinctions between gaps and deficits can show just how dire a city or state's condition is.

Smart Management

Plus: Learning from successes, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: An update on government swag, and more management news

Smart Management

Local leaders differ on whether government-branded freebies and trinkets are worth the money.

Smart Management

There's more to keeping in touch with constituents than public hearings.

Smart Management

Plus: Who to follow on Twitter, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Police Unions in Wisconsin, And More Management News

Smart Management

When state legislatures pass new programs but don't fund them, they may do more harm than good.

Smart Management

Plus: Watching California's Jerry Brown, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Good News for Counties, And More Management News

Smart Management

Louisiana learns to use information about its students to create real-life benefits for them.

Smart Management

Plus: A Small Victory for Detroit, And More Management News

Smart Management

Plus: Recommended reading, short-term thinking and more management news

Smart Management

As the feds help states and cities, a new relationship may be developing.

Smart Management

Plus: Giving oversight some teeth, looking at some pretty graphics, and more management news

Smart Management

Plus: Manager must-reads, the importance of good data, and more management news

Smart Management

Deep managerial workforce cuts change how tightly and rightly governments run.

Smart Management

Plus: measuring student achievement, balancing state budgets, and more management news.

Smart Management

Plus: The cost of rules, how bikes saves lives, and more management news.

Smart Management

States and localities should prioritize top goals and revamp the budgeting process.

Smart Management

A new report on making results-based state government work is chock- full of commonsense recommendations.

Smart Management

Most states can't tell you, with any authority, how much agencies spend on training or how wisely they spend it.

Smart Management

Plus: City Budget Cuts, Stimulus Strains, And More Management News

Smart Management

Plus: A New Budget Gimmick, And More Management News

Smart Management

In boom times, states forget the bust years. That’s worrisome as revenues show signs of life.

Smart Management

Plus: Payday Fraud, Citizen-Driven Budgeting, and More Management News

Smart Management

Plus: Performance evaluations, the challenge of cell phones and government, and more management news.

Smart Management

Before contracting out a government function, a jurisdiction must have solid information about a firm's performance.

Smart Management

Plus: The power of comfort, Florida's liquor-lag, and more.

Smart Management

A handful of B&G Report readers speak out about the positives and negatives of devices that allow them to stay in touch with their work around the clock.

Smart Management

Plus: Making Commissions Useful, Counting Contracts, And More

Smart Management

Partnering for value can be great for a state or city, but the devil is in the details.

Smart Management

Plus: Health Care Misconceptions, Performance Management Uncertainties, And More

Smart Management

Plus: Relaxing Oversight on State Contracts, Making Referendum Signatures Public, And More

Smart Management

Funding for state programs that research and analyze long-term issues is dwindling.

Smart Management

Plus: Progress on Hospital Infections, Another Bunch of Bad Co-Workers, And More

Smart Management

Plus: Fees for Special Treatment, Sin-Tax Errors, And More

Smart Management

Working from home has been touted as the future, so why isn't it catching on faster?

Smart Management

Plus: Imperiled Public Health Agencies, the Importance of Statistics, And More

Finance

Fifteen years ago, when a new business tried to put down roots in Kansas, the business owner had to mail in a paper registration and...

Finance

Tax incentives have long been endorsed as the highway to prosperity -- attracting businesses, providing jobs and enriching the state. That's been conventional wisdom in...

Finance

We'd always take a tax cut, of course," says David Johnson, the former chairman of the Ohio Manufacturers' Association. Nothing surprising in those words, but...

Management & Labor

It's been known for a long time that obsolete state tax systems are not producing the revenue states need. But what's becoming clear today is...

Finance

On January 29, Florida's voters will decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment -- sent to them by the state legislature -- that would set sharp...

Smart Management

Plus: Public-Private Partnerships, The End of the Rubber Room, And More

Smart Management

The low-tech telephone plays a key role in keeping government connected to citizens. Too bad, officials never pick up. (Photo: Chris Campbell/Flickr CC)

Smart Management

When we suggested fireworks displays are community-building events that shouldn't be eliminated, some of our readers lit up like the Fourth of July.

Smart Management

Plus: Kentucky Loses a Resource, Texas Loses Some Fireworks, And More

Smart Management

Plus: Civics Boot Camps, Quotables, And More

Smart Management

During layoffs, the effect of 'bumping rights' on the workplace is more than demoralizing.

Smart Management

Here's a sampling of some courses and publications designed to educate young citizens about how government works.

Smart Management

Plus: Overworked Officers, Unanticipated Outcomes, And More

Smart Management

Contingency fee contracts are becoming hot, but have their limits.

Smart Management

Plus: The magic of checklists, the non-jobs effects of the stimulus, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Planning for the end of the stimulus, the D.A.R.E. problem, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Walkability scores, e-mail advice, and more

Smart Management

Inaccurate information on death certificates impacts how states allocate health-care funds.

Smart Management

Plus: Budget tricks, taco cooperation, and more

Smart Management

Plus: The stimulus vs. productivity, the "anchoring effect," and more

Smart Management

They are supposed to give you solid information about program demand. Instead, they mislead the public.

Smart Management

Plus: The phantom toll road, red-light camera accidents, and more

Smart Management

Plus: The jargon divide, even more questionable stimulus spending, and more

Smart Management

Layoffs and furloughs are taking a toll on those who are still on the job.

Smart Management

Plus: Unreported swine flu stats, outsourced water bills, and more

Smart Management

Plus: The final word on flowers, the perils of bad data, and more

Smart Management

Is it ever okay to buy get-well-soon flowers with taxpayer money?

Smart Management

This year may set a record for gimmicks they used to balance their books.

Smart Management

Overstated savings, underestimated budgets, and more

Smart Management

Plus: The problem with school vending machines, a technology reality check, and more

Smart Management

Obstacles to coming up with solid, accurate numbers to measure program performance are all over the place.

Smart Management

Robbing pensions to pay Paul, making customers happy while they wait, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Useless news bulletins, the tweeting-texting-traffic conundrum, and more.

Smart Management

It can be a drag on pensions and the bottom line.

Smart Management

Plus: Getting a fix on the price of government, one state that's all smiles right now, and more

Smart Management

Keeping an eye on California, how most states are bungling stimulus accountability, and more

Smart Management

Boards and commissions can be expensive--whether or not they meet.

Smart Management

Plus: The big pencil, the pressure to appear overloaded, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Under-reporting homicides, under-sharing best practices, and more

Smart Management

Managing for results is making a bigger difference during this downturn.

Smart Management

Plus: The questionable effectiveness of tax incentives, what happens when pilots fly blind, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Whether CEOs matter, the public-private slowdown, and more

Smart Management

Sometimes it saves money to outsource government work. But don't assume that.

Smart Management

Readers of the B&G Report tell the top two qualities they're looking for in an employee.

Smart Management

Plus: The possible demise of a performance institution, management lessons from a weight-loss program, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Paying for snitches, the power of putting data on a map, and more

Smart Management

A conversation with former New York Governor George Pataki's budget director.

Smart Management

A surprising number of states and localities don't have the kind of inventory of their assets that a decent shoe store has.

Smart Management

Plus: The price of promptness, the problem with playing it safe, and more

Smart Management

A conversation with the controller for the city of Los Angeles

Smart Management

Plus: Unacceptably low graduation rates, the "paperful" office, and more

Smart Management

Plus: The broadband ZIP-code gap, transportation safety for emergency responders, and more

Smart Management

A conversation with the mayor and county manager of Miami-Dade

Smart Management

A conversation with the former West Virginia governor and the current president of the Alliance for Excellent Education

Smart Management

Plus: Overly expensive -- and overly designed -- logos, the Philadelphia Productivity Bank, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Higher-than-expected turnover, the importance of old-fashioned written materials, and more

Smart Management

Plus: A great tool for performance reporting, our Journalist of the Month Award, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Public vs. private salaries, sharing data over the Web, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Roadblocks to shared services, private-sector succession planning, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Why to avoid group e-mails, taxing other states' muni bonds, and more

Smart Management

One of the toughest things for states or localities to do is get bona fide input from citizens on how they're doing.

Smart Management

Plus: Generational conflicts in the workplace, how building maintenance reduces staff turnover, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Telecommuting breeds discontent, sick public-sector workers, and more

Smart Management

A conversation with one of the nation's top experts on program evaluations

Smart Management

Plus: Low ethical standards, the Rubber Room, and more

Smart Management

Plus: States giving cities the shaft, letting citizens sit on pension boards, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Looking for a date, flawed state audits, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Managers Reading List, training for waving a flag, and more

Smart Management

Plus: State boards in limbo, the power of picking up the phone, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Losing credit in Hartford, fed-state stat spat, and more

Smart Management

Plus: A Good Idea from Oregon, the truth about state "wellness programs," and more

Smart Management

Plus: The decline of the citizen survey, using the Web to change attitudes about government, and more

Smart Management

Plus: The problem with a one-year check-up, unspent money in Tulsa, and more

Smart Management

Plus: A state-city disconnect, an entirely unscientific poll about performance measures, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Our own predictions for the year, government's "big pencil," and more

Smart Management

Plus: How to fix failed institutions, keeping track of budget cuts, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Improving 311 systems, the pain of conference calls, and more

Smart Management

Plus: How informing patients can lower Medicaid costs, a great resource for performance reporting, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Taxes vs. fees, unaccountable accountability, and more

Smart Management

Plus: The balanced-budget myth, Oregon's progressive Progress Board, and more

Smart Management

Plus: Adaptability and flexibility, California's new stimulus watchdog, and more

Smart Management

A running list of must-reads for public managers, suggested by readers of The B&G Report

Smart Management

Readers of the B&G Report respond to the idea of using federal stimulus dollars for quality-of-life projects.

Smart Management

Plus: saving on Medicaid, the problem with building consensus, and more

Smart Management

When times are tough, politicians and managers have the cover to make hard choices.

Smart Management

There is a lot of fanfare when a new program is signed into law. But then, it disappears from sight. Why is that?

Smart Management

Some states and localities are taking steps to get constituents to do what they ought to do anyway.

Smart Management

Some of the problems with property taxes could be solved on the management end.

Smart Management

When officials act quickly to solve a problem, they may fail to look at the long-term effects -- and those can create new complications.

Smart Management

The latest political buzzword is transparency. But it may not be the cure-all it's cracked up to be.

Smart Management

Stimulus or no stimulus, cost overruns are as dangerous as ever.

Smart Management

Best practices are all well and good. We make a case for a center to study the worst.

Smart Management

There are way too many of them, they take too long and don't accomplish much. Can meetings be fixed?

Smart Management

There are plenty of costly mistakes to make when you try to balance a budget through personnel freezes, cuts or early retirements.

Smart Management

It's one thing to attract young people to government jobs. It's another to keep them there.

Smart Management

To consolidate or not to consolidate: a puzzling question.

Idea Center

States and the federal government might be able to save a fair amount of money if they paid attention to some developments in Oregon, according...

Smart Management

An odd route to budgeting flexibility comes from banking unfilled job slots.

Idea Center

The Oregon Progress Board was created in the late 1980s to develop statewide livability indicators and monitor progress on Oregon's statewide strategic plan. It certainly...

Smart Management

Credentials may be important, but the skills, abilities, knowledge and behavior of applicants are at least equally so.

Smart Management

Applying the principles of managing for results to running a child's soccer team leads to some unexpected outcomes.

Smart Management

Catching every bit of fraud in government can result in what a county official calls 'spending a dime to chase a nickel.'

Smart Management

Louisiana has undergone a sea change in the use of performance information. Managing for results is working there.

Smart Management

States and local governments have been swinging like a pendulum between powerful and weak central controls.

Smart Management

Employee idea boxes seem like an obvious way to foster the ballyhooed notion of `continuous improvement.' So why don't they work?

Smart Management

Award-winning programs usually spawn copycats, but there may be good ideas to replicate from innovative projects that falter.

Smart Management

Fuzzy language is a big impediment to good management--and to understanding the way government really works.

Smart Management

A new report can help agency officials and lawmakers use performance measures more effectively.

Smart Management

States and localities probably spend more money enforcing incredibly restrictive rules than they lose on waste and fraud.

Smart Management

Even as doubts grow about using performance data in budgeting, mental health agencies provide fresh evidence of the benefits.

Smart Management

One of the easiest ways to balance a budget is simply to predict savings that may or may not ever come to pass.

Smart Management

States and localities are outsourcing more of their services, but management of the contracts is in dire need of an upgrade.

Smart Management

It's important to understand that five-year forecasts are going to be wrong, but it's good to do them anyway.

Smart Management

Regardless of real-world pressures, data should be made public. Absent good information, bad information will prevail.

Smart Management

Governments are in the position of trying to reward good performers-- without being able to give raises or bonuses.

Smart Management

The lack of good information to help voters make intelligent decisions on ballot measures is startling.

Finance

If budgets are financial plans, then CAFRs tell you what happened to the plan. So why don't more people pay attention to them?

Smart Management

Response time is the easiest but not necessarily the best measure of performance.

Smart Management

Contracting out services can benefit the bottom line, but not always. The trick is to figure out when it does and doesn't.

Smart Management

When revenues dry up, states and localities tend to make cuts that leave them less able to deliver services effectively.

Smart Management

Criteria and formulas for basic performance measures are so varied, comparing data from one state to another is often a fruitless exercise.

Health & Human Services

Why Health Care Is Getting Worse, Even Though Medicine Is Getting Better

Smart Management

Gathering all the public input you can may sound like a good idea, but it's often more of a pain than a panacea.

Smart Management

The more managers are free to admit an impending failure without fear of being throttled, the better off a government will be.

Smart Management

A late budget is a clear sign that unproductive politics are overwhelming a government's sensible management.

Smart Management

Some agencies don't gather data that could help them manage better-- because it might make them look bad.

Smart Management

An independent performance audit can help an agency deliver services more efficiently and effectively.

Smart Management

Governments are finally beginning to figure out how to develop solid figures for the cost of the services they provide.

Smart Management

Overselling a project can have unfortunate consequences, among them earning the distrust of legislators.

Smart Management

Performance measures are finally being taken out of the box and applied to agency plans and budgets.

Smart Management

Verifying the accuracy of statistics generated by performance measures seems to be the last step in the process.

Smart Management

Our household is just like a state: good at forecasting revenue, but when it comes to expenditures, things get dicier.

Management & Labor

Problems crop up when the grievance process is so complex and time- consuming that it stifles managers and employees.

Smart Management

A number of states are looking to career-building programs to grow their workforces of the future.

Smart Management

When a state or local agency has money left at the end of the year, a spendthrift mentality tends to take over.

Smart Management

The more thoroughly you measure the depths of any problem, the bigger that problem will appear to be.

Smart Management

Even for those governments that have mechanisms to hasten the firing process, it can still be laborious to get rid of deadwood.

Smart Management

Many of the statistics policy makers use today are set in concrete but made of quicksand.

Smart Management

States need a more careful process of estimating the future financial impact of legislation before legislators pass it.

Smart Management

People may not care how clean the average street is, but they sure want to know how their street compares to others.