Paul W. Taylor, Ph.D., is the editor of Governing. He also serves as the chief content officer of e.Republic, Governing’s parent organization, as well as senior advisor to the Governing Institute. Prior to joining e.Republic, Taylor served as deputy Washington state CIO and chief of staff of the state Information Services Board (ISB). Dr. Taylor came to public service following decades of work in media, Internet start-ups and academia. He is also among a number of affiliated experts with the non-profit, non-partisan Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) in Washington, D.C.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
The trial of the former city police officer has become a proxy for the state of racial tension in America, and perhaps the impetus for completing what the civil rights movement began in the 1960s.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
C-SPAN and its state-level equivalents have been around for decades, quietly transmitting the minutia of government. But with statehouses still in lockdown, public affairs television is more significant than ever.
A new book from Harvard Business Review provides policymakers with practical help on how to catch up with and adapt to rapid change in democratic capitalism at the end of a weird year.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
Jill Lepore’s new book, “If Then” explores the men and the machines behind the rise of modern computing, data analytics and the dark impact of technology on politics, elections and democracy itself.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
Governing is building a 50-state map to visualize the changes underway to declare states “Open for Business” even as the coronavirus remains at large across the country.
Plus, drafting a fourth stimulus bill before the $2 trillion package is sorted out, considering recession scenarios, state positioning as economy shudders, and credit ratings could be more vulnerable than budgets.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
Disruption has long been a cornerstone of technology innovation, and new “hacks” to old problems remain essential to dreaming up and creating what’s new and what’s next — and asking whether we even need it.
Plus, U.S. now logs 100 cases across all 50 states, IMF lays out three-part global strategy, Muni bonds hit hard by coronavirus, and other budget effects.
Plus, more tax software woes, fintech financial raises for building projects soften for 2020, Texas school district loses millions in phishing scam, and Americans would sell their privacy out for cheap on Facebook.
Plus, 50-State Fiscal Forecast Looking Up, New Bonding for CA Public Schools, and Privatization of NYC Public Housing.
This week, Governing’s Future of Finance examines the moves made in advance of tax season, California’s crackdown on traffic fine scofflaws, the world’s largest money manager is making the climate crisis its primary investment criterion, and MIT’s “significant” Jeffrey Epstein mistakes.
The fourth annual GovTech 100 list will be released this week.
Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Faced with the prospect of up to a third of jobs being eliminated by automation in the next decade, governments are taking another look at Universal Basic Income.
A nonprofit helped Athens, Ga., address this often-ignored need and wants to expand its services.
MIT researchers are trying something new to see if they can explain -- if not repair -- the relationship between the public and the government.
Going against the FBI's ransomware advice is one way state chief information officers are thinking for themselves.
Data now informs almost everything the public sector does, and it also informs on us.
When government gets too much of a good thing, can open-source technology help?
Austin Mayor Steve Adler and several other city leaders discuss their experience at this year's South by Southwest conference.
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, Ind., and Mayor Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento spoke on a special SXSW preview episode of Governing's newest podcast, Go Public.
$cms.websiteSection($article.contentTargets.get(0).destID).displayName
NYCx and Urban-X have similar names but different models for coming up with better ways to deliver government services.
Four cities -- Pittsburgh, St. Paul, the District of Columbia and San Francisco -- field-tested collaborative approaches to paying for things that cities need.
A pop-up podcast recorded with a live audience that captures key learnings from the cities that learned them - detailed here with a full transcript.
A pop-up podcast recorded with a live audience that captures key learnings from the cities that learned them - detailed here with a full transcript.
A pop-up podcast recorded with a live audience that captures key learnings from the cities that learned them - detailed here with a full transcript.
They have become a staple in several cities. Whether they stay around is up to new mayors in charge.
3-year, $3 million collaboration to kickstart urban innovation crowdsources reviews of city pitches in selecting which ones will enter the City Accelerator
Politicians took to Twitter to respond to the court's decision to strike down Texas' ban on same-sex marriage.
Some media websites allow people to blog without disclosing their identities, but some worry that can confuse readers and spread misinformation.
Animated feature about building blocks and the people who love them illustrates the softer side of FutureStructure
A former US Treasury Official pivots toward run for Governor's office takes aim at $68 billion rail initiative
How one agency handled a tragedy as it unfolded live on Twitter.
The governor put in one of the best performances of his career.
Even though Americans are increasingly looking to online media for their news, public officials still give preference to TV and print newspapers when responding to requests for information.
The legislature's unusually short three-day special session delivered on half of what the company wanted; the rest is in the hands of unionized machinists.
Some worry that the drop in the number of reporters covering state capitals and the slow death of print media are making public officials and institutions less accountable.
Indiana’s governor and D.C.’s transit agency got caught up in controversies after removing comments off their social media accounts. The takeaway? Public officials need to learn to keep their fingers off the delete button.
A little lie the Seattle mayor told his constituents about a gun buyback program may now cost him his re-election. It’s a lesson for all public officials about dealing with reporters.
Shield laws provide predictability, say media advocates. But some worry that championing such laws puts journalists in the same arena with those they cover.
A case before the nation’s highest court could change the way citizens, journalists and entrepreneurs access government-held information.
Public transit systems have accepted advertising for a long time. But it’s not always without controversy.
Experts are worried that disparate privacy rules between the two could pose a threat to future growth.
There are conflicting pressures on the universal service fee to maintain “plain old telephone service” on one hand and help pay for a broadband future on the other.
A 115-year-old editorial on the existence of Santa Claus sheds light on the future of civics in America.
An internship program in Georgia is hoping to open young minds to a career in public service.
One man’s test of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure along the West Coast highlights the hurdles ahead for states and localities in meeting the Obama administration’s new fuel efficiency rules.
Everything we know about the automobile is under scrutiny, and so is everything we know about the parking lot. Should they be made of concrete or grass? Is their greatest purpose to generate revenue, store cars or act as a public space for people?
Public finance departments are significantly less likely than government in general to use social media or see its value in engaging with constituents. It might be time for this to change.
Gov. Bev Perdue and at least 30 state lawmakers have decided not to run for reelection this fall, many of them citing the loss of civility and willingness to compromise when it comes to doing the public’s business.
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation strives to provide “serious learning experiences” for its core constituency of about 500 legislative officials -- regardless of what party they belong to.
In Southfield, Mich., the mayor takes early morning walks with her constituents – a move that’s changed the physical and civic health of her city.
People are finally starting to bounce back from the recession, and they’re looking to local governments -- not the feds or the states -- to guide them into a better future.
The movement’s founder says short, surprise occupations and targeted messaging could force officials to address income inequality.
The fate of Data.gov, which housed hundreds of thousands of public data when its funding got cut, may contain the outlines of a model for sustaining digital records.
Puerto Rico, which will vote on whether to become a state this summer, has reduced its spending by 20 percent in just two years with the help of public-private partnerships.
Less than twenty years ago, no states had an obesity rate higher than 20 percent. Today, no state has a rate lower than that.
Whether we like it or not, it’s time to expect less -- lots less -- from government.
Some studies say that sticking with faster (rather than the fastest) rail would allow the Northwest to transport more riders for half the cost.
GOVERNING is expanding our use of data and our efforts to put job-critical information in the hands of government leaders and practitioners
Politically-involved high school students could teach legislators a thing or two about compromise.
The success of New York City’s solar efforts wouldn’t have been possible without its on-the-ground ombudsmen.
In Oregon, hard legislative choices reflect national structural changes under way.
State and local governments want to dump a costly tax provision that would bring more costs at a most inopportune time.
Free-market economists argue that replacing welfare programs with direct cash grants to the poor would require a smaller bureaucracy and be more beneficial to those in need.
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?
Voting by mail is popular in the states that allow it. But some states are hesitant to make such a switch.
A list of priorities and issues helps public officials remember what really matters in tough fiscal times.
America’s largest city shares lessons in urban renewal.
State and local officials are thinking pragmatically this holiday season.
The defeat of taxes on candy and income, plus approval of a supermajority needed for future take hikes, removes a "path forward" for policymakers.
Despite polarization, politics is still the way to get things done.
A political transition down South will test the resilience of procurement reform.
In this audio interview, the "candy man" featured this month's Dispatch column talks to GOVERNING about how taxes against candy are unfair.
A new model of how transparency works changes the view of open government.
Preventing small problems from growing bigger takes on significance in today's economy.