Innovation

3 Ways Governments Can Regain Citizens’ Trust

COMMENTARY | Transparency, efficiency and accountability are the key ingredients to rebuilding confidence.

  • By Rajiv Desai

White House Looks to Focus Service Delivery Around ‘Life Events'

The Biden administration is fleshing out a plan to organize government services around the needs of Americans and not around agency org charts.

  • By Natalie Alms

How Do You Plant More Trees in New York City? Give Them Away

In one Brooklyn neighborhood, saplings were available for residents to grab and plant in their own yards ahead of Earth Day.

  • By Candace Pedraza

The Benefits of Digital Payments Automation for Local Government

COMMENTARY | Digital billing can improve collection efficiencies, reduce call volumes and save organizational costs and resources.

  • By Patty Melton

Modern Building Codes Slash Energy Costs, Boost Resiliency

COMMENTARY | Homeowners are demanding features that up-to-date codes can help deliver but almost half of states have not embraced these standards.

  • By Ryan Colker

The Future of Government is Virtual

COMMENTARY | State and local governments are on the cusp of implementing technology innovations that will revolutionize the delivery of government services.

  • By Charlie Meyer

How Governments Can Prepare for Permanent Remote Work

COMMENTARY | As states and localities explore whether to sustain work-from-home models, there are key questions, especially around technology, leaders should consider to determine their readiness.

  • By Simon Threlfall

How States Can Improve the Customer Experience for Families Seeking Safety Net Supports

COMMENTARY | By making changes to technology systems and prioritizing the customer’s point of view, states can provide faster and more efficient access to benefits and ensure families receive the supports they need.

  • By Heather Hahn

Three Essential Reasons Governments Must Embrace Remote Work

COMMENTARY | If state and local governments want to be competitive in the job market, then they need to embrace remote work.

  • By Jenny Kosek

Better, Smarter and Faster Public Procurement in 9 Easy Steps

COMMENTARY | With procurement, the public sector has made shopping a chore. Here’s how to fix that.

  • By Antoine Belaieff

Artificial Intelligence, Automation Aren’t Killing Labor Market, Report Says

Such technology aren't making it more likely for workers to lose jobs in major 10 industries, the authors found.

  • By Frank Konkel

3 Essential Steps in Implementing a Comprehensive User Monitoring Program

Governments must "never trust, always verify" and assume "anyone on the network is potentially hostile or capable of triggering a breach."

  • By Heath Mullins
Featured eBooks
Road and Transit Infrastructure Trends
Federal Recovery Funds at the State and Local Level
Infrastructure at a Turning Point

Inside Pacific Northwest National Lab’s 5G Innovation Studio

Federal officials are exploring what the next generation of wireless capabilities has to offer.

  • By Brandi Vincent

How to Reinvent the Citizen Experience: Turn Covid-19 Quick Fixes into Real Change

COMMENTARY | Innovative service changes made during the pandemic should become permanent as they can help improve citizens’ experience with state and local governments.

  • By Andy Martin

The Court is Now in (Virtual) Session: How Remote Services are Transforming the Judicial System

COMMENTARY | The judicial system has been slow to adopt technologies, but the Covid-19 crisis has initiated a digital transformation that is here to stay.

  • By Daniel Stewart

The Time Has Come for Electric Utilities to Make Some Major Changes

COMMENTARY | Bold leadership will be required for the industry to adapt to new technology and pricing models, while also keeping pace with current demands.

  • By Val Jensen

Retrofitting Parking Garages Could Help With Affordable Housing Shortage

COMMENTARY | As Covid-19 shattered normal commuting patterns and center city parking use, some are investigating how high-rise garages and parking lots can be converted to provide space for housing.

  • By Wes Guckert

A Quick and Low-Cost Way to Drive Results-Focused Government

COMMENTARY | Creating a “community of practice,” where agency staff interested in evidence, data and innovation gather regularly, can help to build a culture of learning and improvement.

  • By Andrew Feldman

The Smart City Journey: 5 Key Steps to Success

COMMENTARY | The path to becoming a smart city is eased by incorporating a few important steps into your planning.

  • By Patti Zullo

Attention, Lazy Garbage: This Bot Will Insult You Until You Vote

The free service, a product of the nonprofit Fight For The Future, sends daily text messages that urge you—impolitely—to go vote.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Want to Solve Society’s Most Urgent Problems? Cash Prizes Can Spur Breakthroughs

COMMENTARY | Big cash prizes can be big motivators for people to get involved in developing innovative ideas.

  • By Luciano Kay, The Conversation