Management and Administration
These articles are about the nuts and bolts of government administration, from IT governance, including security and privacy policies, to management best practices affecting procurement, workforce development and retention.
The first non-pandemic enrollment drop in nearly 40 years could force difficult budget and staffing decisions.
After record-high opioid deaths in 2021, the state has managed to turn the tide for several years running.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are weighing changes that could expand benefits for families.
Foreign actors can use this powerful technology for election interference. But election officials have a new tool in their belt, too.
Governments make it too hard to access it at the scale needed to identify patterns and perform analysis across large numbers of records. There are ways to provide genuine transparency.
Americans continue reporting being hit by more — and more costly — digital crimes.
Most jurisdictions don’t know how much they spend on fuel and electricity across the enterprise. Figuring it out is a prerequisite for managing volatile prices.
The lack of oversight of contracted work is commonplace. It’s important to track things early, before audits uncover problems.
Lawmakers say a lack of leadership and coordination is slowing efforts to address extreme heat.
City leaders are rolling out new strategies to attract crowds and reverse declining foot traffic downtown.
Vaccination rates among kindergarten-aged children are below recommended levels throughout the country.
Medicaid is a lifeline for people returning from incarceration but there are too many hurdles, and new work requirements will make things worse. Governments need to take some important steps now.
It’s about competence. To build residents’ trust, cities need to focus on delivering core services efficiently, setting measurable standards and meeting them consistently.
Too many Americans can’t pass a basic civic literary quiz, and we’re doing little about it. How can they evaluate the actions of government if they don’t have a solid idea of how it functions?
Errors in grant programs are everywhere — but they don’t fall along party lines.
Tiny districts with some per-pupil costs exceeding $100,000 are weighing closures that could devastate entire communities.
A sweeping reorganization shifts authority closer to states, but limited details and staffing cuts are raising concerns.
GIS-based apps, imaging, sensors and other tools can significantly improve tracking and response. They need to be thoughtfully integrated with services.
A new projection finds 442 institutions could shut down or merge within a decade as enrollment declines and financial pressures mount.
America’s mayors share challenges — and a unique power to address them — says Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.
Public plans’ finances have been recovering, helped by changes enacted after the 2008 financial crisis. Lawmakers should resist the temptation to roll back these reforms.
Lynn, Mass., converted an underutilized downtown office space into room for two schools, avoiding the need to find land or funding for building a new school.
Limited treatment options have pushed educators to integrate addiction recovery directly into the school system.
If artificial intelligence tools struggle to find official guidance, too often the answers they generate are wrong. Governments need to make their information readable by machines as well as humans.
District leaders are investing in peer-driven marketing as they work to reverse long-term enrollment declines.
City leaders ultimately rejected a National Guard cybersecurity partnership as concerns mounted over data access and federal involvement.
The port of Long Beach is an engine for millions of jobs across the nation. Its CEO talks to Governing about managing operations through trade disruptions.
It’s not easy to figure out the exact cost of a service a city or county provides, but it’s worth the effort to get the most out of every public dollar spent.
Avoiding it will result in missed opportunities. It’s critical to adapt to unpredictable challenges. Too often governments treat inaction as the safe choice.
Florida lawmakers are increasingly spilling into costly special sessions, raising questions about the limits of part-time governance.
New rules will require prior authorization for weight loss medications, a move expected to save the city $10.6 million amid “skyrocketing” health expenses.
