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Barrett and Greene

Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene

Contributors

Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, who have analyzed, researched and written about state and local government for over 30 years, are contributors to Governing; executive advisors for the American Society for Public Administration; visiting fellows at the IBM Center for the Business of Government; advisors to the Government Finance Officers Association; columnists for Government Finance Review; commentary editors for the International Journal of Public Administrators; and senior advisors to the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois, Chicago. They are also fellows at the National Academy of Public Administration.

Their latest book, co-authored with Donald F. Kettl, is “The Little Guide to Writing for Impact,” published in 2024. For more information on them and their work, visit their website at greenebarrett.com.

It’s easier than ever to send out a survey instrument, and they’re an important tool for governments. But with so many of them out there, it’s harder than ever to reach a critical mass of respondents.
The most obvious example right now is with artificial intelligence, but there are plenty of other challenges.
Just about every jurisdiction measures them differently. The data should differentiate between life-and-death situations and less serious ones. Doing so could save lives — including those of first responders.
There are plenty of reasons for state and local leaders to be unsure about the future. Not all of them are coming down from Washington.
There are advantages to allowing more workplace flexibility. It’s particularly helpful for recruiting and retention.
It undermines the effort to see what’s really working in government and what’s not.
It’s not a panacea, but skillfully assembled systems have a huge amount of value.
It’s a common complaint by executive branch managers: Lawmakers don’t always grasp the importance of providing resources for more efficient use of tax dollars down the road.
The public sector is more obsessed than ever with using data to make decisions. But some think the quality of it may be getting worse.
Too often they fall victim to political expediencies. If it’s not the answer that will garner votes at election time, it’s not going to happen.