It's not an accident that China and New York City, which have perhaps the greatest distance between their rich and poor, also lead the world in skyscraper construction.

Hoping to reinvent the sprawling city, El Paso officials decided to teach the development community the importance of new urbanism. Now, other cities are following in its footsteps.

Despite the bleak employment outlook and negative rhetoric, recent surveys suggest enrollment for public administration programs and interest in government careers has increased.

Open government is often more rhetoric than reality.

Governments really are in a competition. A lot is at stake.