March 20, 2019
Why I'm Optimistic About America's Economic Outlook
Another recession is in the forecast. This time, states seem ready to weather it.
November 26, 2018
Hope for Fixing the Heart of America's Voting Problems
The system is broken. But the midterms laid the foundation for reforming it.
November 19, 2018
A Crisis in Motion: America's Transportation Dilemma
Federal policy, and other factors, are disrupting efforts to improve transit and forcing urban planners to make tough choices.
September 7, 2018
On Water Problems, Governments Actually Work Together
When it comes to dirty lakes and rivers, governments have learned how to cooperate.
July 12, 2018
Federalism Is Broken. Can It Be Fixed?
Our federal system is tied up in knots. We have to try to untie them.
May 21, 2018
It’s Time for Governments to Try Federalism Again
Our toughest problems can’t be solved unless we learn to work together.
March 21, 2018
Hope for Car-Haters
Cities are beginning to rethink their relationship with automobiles.
January 10, 2018
These 2 Men Made Careers Out of Fighting for Federalism
One of them, Paul Posner, who recently died, spent decades advocating for a stronger relationship between federal, state and local governments.
November 16, 2017
First He Reinvented Government. Now He Wants to Reinvent Schools.
In his new book, David Osborne argues the best way to fix the education system is to increase charter schools and create a survival-of-the-fittest system.
September 1, 2017
The Fractured State of Federalism
It's hard to tell who's in charge of what in American government these days.
July 13, 2017
Let's Give the Stimulus Its Due
It saved the economy, but that isn't always acknowledged.
May 9, 2017
Trump-Watching From City Hall
His policy choices will challenge places from Manhattan to Mobile, Ala.
March 1, 2017
Outposts of Rationality in Our Great Partisan Divide
U.S. politics isn't all poisonous. You just have to leave Washington to realize that.
January 9, 2017
Conjectures From the Swamp
D.C. may be an object of Republican disdain, but it’s now at the center of governmental change.
November 28, 2016
The Upside of Police Chiefs' Recent Departures
They’re stepping down in cities across the country, opening up opportunities for major change.
September 14, 2016
Doubts About Pension Debt
We can’t be sure how much states and localities owe.
July 26, 2016
Millennials and Homeownership
The uncertainty of where they'll live is creating new challenges.
May 3, 2016
Washington, D.C.’s Monumental Decay
In D.C., above and below ground, historic and vital infrastructure is in bad shape. There’s plenty of blame to spread around for that.
March 1, 2016
Confronting Climate Change’s Biggest Deniers
Some of the skeptics are also the people with the most power to make a difference. Ignoring or denying the issue isn’t an option.
January 1, 2016
Detroit and New Orleans Have More in Common Than Most Think
Most important, their prospects for survival can teach us about the resiliency of urban areas everywhere.
November 1, 2015
Plan B for Ending the Gun Epidemic
Federal firearm laws are unlikely to change, so it’s up to states and localities to lead a societal effort.
September 9, 2015
State and Local Governments' Ticking Debt Bomb
The U.S. may not be the next Greece, but it must face up to some hard decisions.
July 1, 2015
Public Universities Have Forgotten Their Mission
As public education becomes less public, what new economic model will emerge?
May 1, 2015
Washington’s Education Stalemate
Why improving our schools looks hopeless on Capitol Hill.
March 1, 2015
Utah’s Secret Weapon for Long-Range Planning
Most governments don’t plan for population growth well. But Utah’s grassroots, nonideological, research-based approach has become a model for other states and localities.
March 1, 2015
The ‘CEO-Mayors’ Who Care About Cities Instead of Profits
Dan Gilbert of Detroit is just one example of what a CEO determined to help their communities can accomplish.
January 1, 2015
Washington’s Media Myopia
With practically no legislation moving through Congress, the Washington press corps is beginning to focus on action in states and localities.
November 1, 2014
Crazy Quilt Federalism
Innovation is happening in a lot of places, just in different ways.
September 1, 2014
Are Governments Neglecting Planes and Trains?
Even though airports and public transportation systems are in need of upgrades, all anyone ever talks about is roads and bridges.
July 1, 2014
The Great Water Paradox
With far too little water in some places and far too much in others, U.S. governments can no longer ignore climate change.
May 1, 2014
How Big Cities Push Big New Ideas
As urban populations have grown, cities have become centers of innovation.
March 1, 2014
Poverty Won't Be Solved by Congress
Since Congress has trouble tying its shoes, states and localities must take the lead reversing the dangerous trends of rising inequality and stagnant mobility.
January 1, 2014
America Risks Wasting Fracking’s Potential
Hydraulic fracking holds so much promise for generating inexpensive, relatively clean energy. But first, we need to figure out how to regulate it.
September 1, 2013
What (Not) to Expect from Congress This Session
Congress is back, but don’t expect the players in this sad comedy to know or care much about how any pieces of legislation they pass will affect our states, regions or metros.
February 28, 2013
Federalism from the Bottom Up
More than ever, the feds need states and local regions to take the lead in crafting promising new programs.
December 28, 2012
Who Pays for Superstorm Sandy?
States don’t just want money to rebuild -- they want money to make far-reaching changes to infrastructure too.
October 31, 2012
It's Time for States, Localities to Think Boldly
Elections and governance have become so intertwined that it’s hard to know when campaigns begin or end. We do know we need big ideas.
August 31, 2012
Washington, D.C.’s Other 1-Percent Problem
The nation’s capital is more about what you own these days than what you do.
June 29, 2012
The Politics of Rising Tuition Costs
Obama blames the states, but the problem is more complicated.
May 31, 2012
Public Universities Reach a Tipping Point
Severe funding cuts and the record-high numbers of people going to college are forcing state university systems to make tough decisions about financial aid, curriculums, research and more.
April 30, 2012
The Affordable Care Act: A Case Study for Cooperative Federalism?
If the health reform law is upheld, the flexibility it will give states on health insurance exchanges could be a model for healthy federal-state relations.
February 29, 2012
Despite Corruption Concerns, D.C. Improves Services
Amid several ethics scandals, the city government has dramatically improved its delivery of services -- even as demand has increased.
January 1, 2012
What Brand of Federalism Is Next?
Obama’s mixed approach of coercion and collaboration seems to be working, but that may not last.
October 31, 2011
Column: Housing Policy Deserves a Demotion
GOVERNING Publisher Emeritus Peter Harkness says it may be time for government to get out of the business of promoting homeownership.
August 31, 2011
Severe Budget Cuts Ahead
With stimulus funding gone, a misinformed citizenry is unprepared for the funding cuts on the horizon.
June 30, 2011
Cities Must Find the Economy's Fix
With Washington paralyzed by its debt and states facing deficits, the pressure is on local governments to raise more revenue or make significant structural changes to reduce costs.
April 29, 2011
The Truth about Bankruptcy
Exaggerating problems is more about politics than budget balancing.
February 28, 2011
Public Servants as Public Enemy #1
At all levels, denigration of public service is a legacy of the recession.
January 1, 2011
The Nation's Outlook on Trains
Bullet trains may be sidetracked, but not commuter rail.
November 1, 2010
Finding a Leader With Answers
As problems cry out for solutions, we need more Richard Daleys.
State and Federal Immigration Policy Challenges Republicans and Democrats
The politics of immigration policy are tricky for both parties.
Restoring the Balance of Federalism
In the recession's wake, states and localities face new realities.
Education Reform is the New Game in Town
What's not to like about the Race to the Top? Plenty, it seems.
States, Localities Face a 'Lost Decade'
Economic recovery will be slow, subduing any ambitions state and local governments may harbor to play a role in shaping national policy.
Washington Plays Catch Up On Climate Change
States, localities and the private sector are already confronting climate change. Washington has just scratched the surface.
The Ticking Fiscal Clock
In this state and local fiscal mess, realism may be the only option.
Tying Federal Funding to Regional Cooperation
For the White House, the new mantra is 'metro regions.'
Devolution? What's That?
Right now, federalism means the feds are running the show.
When the Well Runs Dry
The stimulus won't last forever. That's worth remembering.
Tackling Taxophobia
We can't keep pretending tax increases are a fatal disease.
Obama and the States
President Bush promised governors a close relationship and didn't deliver. Can states trust the reassuring words of his successor?
March 31, 2007
Low-Flow Revenue Stream
When some labor unions in Rockford, Ill., came out in support of an increase in the local sales tax last month, it wasn't big news....
March 25, 2007
Test, but Verify
Almost two years ago, this space discussed George W. Bush's centerpiece education program in a column that started off this way: "There is a rebellion...