State and Local Government
Why government information gets reassigned by AI — and what that means for public trust
COMMENTARY | Residents rely on governments for information, and knowing which agency issued a statement helps hold them accountable. When that authority is murky, that accountability weakens.
Breaking down silos and building collaboration can boost government agencies
COMMENTARY | Having a strategic path forward, good partnerships with the private sector and a common purpose can all help departments better collaborate.
Libraries help communities weather storms. Many are getting snowed under
COMMENTARY | The recent winter storms showed how vital libraries are, but they are struggling with deferred maintenance and an uncertain funding future.
Regionalism: The next wave of public-service delivery
COMMENTARY | As federal budget cuts continue and state budgets are also subject to intense pressures, regional bodies and councils of government may be well suited to step up.
Governments are relying more on social media influencers
More are using influencers as trusted community messengers for public information and education campaigns, a trend that started during the pandemic and is not going away.
AI agents in government: A transformation guide for state and local agencies
COMMENTARY | Navigating the current technology landscape in government can be challenging, but agentic AI offers numerous opportunities if used in the right way.
Report: How local governments can prioritize responsible AI adoption
Local officials can play a role in how AI tools are adopted and deployed among government agencies, even amid the federal government’s efforts to ease regulations on the tech, a new report says.
A change at Route Fifty
We are shifting our focus to report on how state and local governments are using technology, and will keep following innovative solutions to pressing challenges.
Venturing forward: Exploring the next phase of govtech investment
COMMENTARY | The government technology is market is changing.
Increasing the impact of opioid settlement funds
COMMENTARY | States bear a heavy responsibility to administer and leverage the money for the public’s benefit. They can do that through a data-driven approach.
Featured eBooks
State, local guaranteed income programs set the stage for federal action
A growing body of research shows that local-level cash assistance initiatives can improve financial, housing and other outcomes for recipients. Federal lawmakers are taking notice.
Congress averts a shutdown, setting up a lame duck fight in December
A stopgap funding bill is heading to Biden's desk as Congress staves off a pre-election shutdown.
A record-breaking number of Native Americans are running for state and local office
Native candidates see holding office as a chance to fight back following several national events that challenged treaty rights, protections for land and wildlife, and even adoption.
What the Federal Reserve’s policy shift means for state and local budgets
The Federal Reserve intended for its first rate cut in four years to stimulate the broader economy, but the decision will also gradually effect state and local budgets.
Policymakers move to get ahead of deepfake political ads
Several states already require that AI’s use in elections and campaigns be disclosed, but adoption is not universal. With the election on the horizon, efforts have increased to make sure voters can identify AI-generated content.
The devil is in the (financial reporting) details
States and localities don’t have the manpower to handle the current load of burdensome financial reporting requirements—let alone the series of new ones announced yearly. They're pushing back.
What is ‘reasonable cybersecurity’?
The term is used in policy after policy. But with no standard definition, networks are often left unprotected and open to lawsuits. That is changing.
Don’t rush into AI experiments too quickly, experts say
Speakers at Route Fifty’s latest Innovation Spotlight cautioned the need to balance innovation in artificial intelligence with good governance, despite the desire for adoption to happen quicker.
How local government fraud has—and hasn’t—changed since the pandemic
We spoke to a leading state auditor about how remote work and artificial intelligence are ushering in new kinds of fraud in state and local governments.
After a 7-year experiment, New Orleans is an all-charter district no more
The closely watched experiment is coming to an end. New Orleans Public Schools will now act both as a charter school authorizer and an old-fashioned school district.
