Management

How a Powerful Company Convinced Georgia to Let It Bury Toxic Waste in Groundwater

Documents reveal Georgia Power went to great lengths to advocate for risky waste storage. After a ProPublica investigation exposed this practice, the EPA is trying to block the move.

  • By Max Blau, ProPublica

State Legislative Sessions in Election Years Can Be Sleepy Affairs But Not in 2022

The to-do list of state lawmakers is too long for them to put off work now. Here are the big issues they'll be addressing.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

How Republicans Are Using Preemption to Advance Voter Suppression

COMMENTARY | Expect GOP-led states to continue restricting voting rights in 2022.

  • By Richard Briffault and Jessie Ulibarri

5 Unusual State Laws Across the US

There is a wide range of unlikely state laws nationwide, including ones prohibiting biting a person's arm (or leg) off to swearing at kids' sports events.

  • By Andre Claudio

Can a Christian Flag Fly at City Hall? Supreme Court Will Decide

Shurtleff v. Boston raises important questions about free speech and religion in public spaces.

  • By Mark Satta, The Conversation
Sponsor Content

Eliminate Manual Processes Route and Approve Invoices from Anywhere

Today’s finance teams carry a heavy burden, supporting everything from growth strategies to long-term planning – all while continuously delivering monthly and quarterly numbers and keeping cash flowing. But even as demands on finance departments grow, many still spend excessive time using paper, spreadsheets, and e-mails to process vendor invoices, approvals, and payments.

  • Presented by SAP Concur

6 Steps to Writing More Effective Government Job Posts

COMMENTARY | Public sector job posts are in dire need of a makeover. Here are the things to consider.

  • By Jenny Kosek

Governors Join Forces to Press White House for Work-based Visas

The labor shortage has threatened the viability of many local economies and businesses, Republican and Democratic governors said in a letter to President Biden.

  • By Andre Claudio

The Public Sector Turnover Crisis

Rising turnover in state and local government has compounded problems of staff shortages that lead to mandatory overtime, employee burnout and compromised service delivery.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

How to Mentor Young Workers in a Remote World

COMMENTARY | As we approach year three of the pandemic, we need to (finally) change how we train people.

  • By Ed Zitron, The Atlantic

Traffic Fines Lead to Potential 'Misaligned Fiscal Incentives'

More than 40 states use money generated from speeding tickets for criminal justice and other services, but even minor adjustments to shore up local budgets can hit individuals hard, according to a new report.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Stop Fetishizing Old Homes

COMMENTARY | Whatever your aesthetic preferences, new construction is better on nearly every conceivable measure.

  • By M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic

Legislators Return to Session No Longer Able to Use Shortcut for Passing Bills

In a victory for government reform groups, Hawaii state lawmakers cannot employ “gut-and-replace” amendments to speed along bills.

  • By Daniel C. Vock
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3 Things Get People to Return to Rural Hometowns

COMMENTARY | A new study identifies the reasons that draw people back a decade or two after leaving: public schools, population density and other college-degree holders in the community.

  • By Rachel Cramer, Futurity

The Great Resignation: Historical Data and a Deeper Analysis Show It’s Not as Great as Screaming Headlines Suggest

COMMENTARY | While the number of U.S. workers quitting their jobs in 2021 was higher than normal, it isn’t quite as big as it seems, because large numbers of them have been quitting for years.

  • By Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation

Government Needs to Rehabilitate Its Image to Attract and Retain Workers

COMMENTARY | The “Great Resignation” has created a talent drain. The public sector must make its hiring process more user friendly and create a positive employee experience.

  • By Bob Lavigna

Entrepreneurship Provides Economic and Social Stability for Communities

The National League of Cities Monday said small firms generate two-thirds of all new jobs and outlined the challenges Black and Brown people face starting and growing a business.

  • By Andre Claudio

Lurking Behind Lackluster Jobs Gain Are a Stagnating Labor Market and the Threat of Omicron

The job market continued to improve in December, but a stagnating labor pool will pose more challenges for employers in 2022.

  • By Christopher Decker, The Conversation

At-home Businesses Are Growing. Women and People of Color Benefit the Most

The pandemic has fueled the passage of new ordinances in cities and states allowing entrepreneurs to set up businesses from home — a boon for women and people of color who face systemic barriers.

  • By Chabeli Carrazana, The 19th

6 Public Sector Workforce Trends to Watch in 2022

Government employees are seeking nontraditional benefits and diversity, equity and inclusion, among other things, according to a new report.

  • By Andre Claudio

Looking Back at 2021 in State and Local Government

States and localities demonstrated their resilience as they navigated a second year marked by the pandemic. There are plenty of pressing issues on the horizon heading into 2022.

  • By Bill Lucia

Modern America’s Most Successful Secessionist Movement

In rural Oregon, voters fed up with their state’s leftward turn have embraced a simple and outlandish idea: What if we were just Idaho?

  • By Antonia Hitchens, The Atlantic