Management Principles
Auditing reimagined: Looking beyond the public dollar
COMMENTARY | Today’s auditors don’t just account for finances, they also account for outcomes. Local government leaders should look to them as key allies.
Survey: More college grads want to work in government
COMMENTARY | Compared to 2023, more graduating college students are applying for jobs in the public sector. The survey also found key takeaways that will help governments become employers of choice.
Challenge-based procurement ‘just makes sense’
New York City is trying out a new approach to government procurement, whereby the city seeks solutions to its problems instead of prescribing them.
With the rise of AI, workforce planning is critical. But many governments don’t do it.
That’s a problem when state and local government officials are seeing daily evidence that the nature of their workforce is quickly changing.
Celebrating Public Service—and Public Servants
COMMENTARY | Government is asked to solve our toughest and most intractable problems. That’s why we need to celebrate the people who make a difference through government service.
How collaboration is changing North Carolina, one project at a time
States that want to tap universities and philanthropies to find solutions to policy challenges using the best research, evidence and data should look at how one state mastered the communications and logistics essential for effective partnerships.
In this Legislature’s Civility Caucus, Republicans and Democrats actually like talking to each other
At Civility Caucus gatherings, conversation might go to hot-button issues, but they are much more productive and sometimes even lead to co-sponsored bills.
Longtime state senator announces plans to retire
In an interview from earlier this year, Washington’s Karen Keiser discussed her nearly 30-year career and how to affect change in state legislatures.
In an era of divisiness, some politicians are trying to change the tone
At an event last week hosted by the National Governors Association, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Sonia Sotomayor spoke about how they have learned to disagree agreeably.
Trust in government, and opportunities to rebuild it
Confidence in state and local government may have been waning in recent years, but there are ways communities can help to bolster their resident’s faith in them.
Featured eBooks
How trusted are state and local governments?
Confidence in lower levels of government may be better than in the federal government, but it’s still not nearly good enough. And that stands in the way of state and local leaders’ ability to get things done.
Treasury struggled to help states and cities with COVID reporting
A GAO report found that questions about the $350 billion in COVID relief grants often went unanswered.
Addressing the shortage of government accountants: 2 paths to efficiency
COMMENTARY | The dwindling number of qualified, government-savvy accounting professionals makes it imperative municipalities find new efficiencies sooner rather than later.
Apprenticeship programs are growing as the public sector faces workforce shortages
Registered apprenticeships, infrequently used by state and local governments in the past, are gaining the attention of staff-starved agencies.
Access to public records is 'deteriorating terribly'
In a time when trust in state and local government is under siege, public access to information is particularly vital.
Understanding Gen Z in the public sector
Managers can benefit by better engaging and communicating with the newest generation of workers in cities, counties and states.
Rethinking engagement to support a rapidly growing older adult population
COMMENTARY | Having a reliable, evidence-based planning process can significantly impact how state governments address the immediate needs of their aging residents while planning for the future.
How improvements in onboarding can lower employee turnover
One of the greatest challenges confronting state and local governments is a badly understaffed workforce. Here’s one technological and personal way to confront that problem.
9 leadership behaviors that create great places to work
COMMENTARY | Creating a great place to work requires a culture of trust, and leaders who master these nine behaviors will create that culture and more successfully attract and retain talent.
Solving the problem of understaffed jails and prisons
State and local governments are working to attract and retain corrections workers. But it’s not easy, and the task is complicated by high burnout rates due to understaffing.
