B&G REPORT.

We do an awful lot of reading of press releases in which various states or localities (or frequently an outside public relations firm) refers to some initiative as a “best practice.” Typically, if we write about the topic, we substitute in other phrasing, like a “practice that works,” or an “evidence-based approach,” (if it is). Of course, when we’re quoting from a study or a report we’re stuck with the phrase “best practice,” as we don’t change direct quotes to suit ourselve

It feels like just yesterday when, during the pandemic, we were writing about the potential of remote work to make employees happier without diminishing the services they provide. What’s more, it appeared that there was the potential for large amounts of savings when cities, counties and states could cut back at least part of the office space they used. Yet a growing number of state and local governments have eliminated or drastically reduced the capacity of employees to work

Last Tuesday in our Management Update Section, we announced the publication of a study titled “2025 State and Local Workforce Survey...

A couple of months ago at a large social gathering we had the opportunity to spend some time with a person who has dedicated his life to...

For some time, the complexity of dealing with scores of rules set forth by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has become...

Over the course of years, we’ve come to rely on a number of organizations that specialize in various aspects of state and local...

When was the last time you heard anyone say, “Gee what an excellent bureaucracy we have in the Department of Motor Vehicles. It only took...

For some time, we’ve been fascinated by the relationship between executive branch managers and their legislatures or city councils. Not...

Way back in 2015, we wrote a cover story for Governing about bad data. (And by the way, we’re delighted to report that after a few...

A few months ago, at the American Society for Public Administration conference in Washington D.C., the Center for Accountability and...

Today is “World Social Media Day,” a celebration of that form of communications that was first proclaimed in 2010 by Mashable, a media...

Many states, counties and city leaders are regularly raging against “fraud, waste and abuse.” This is hardly a new issue but inspired by...

We don’t have a degree in statistics. Nor are we data specialists. But after 30-plus years of using data as a basic tool in our quest to...

Today is the first day of Public Service Recognition Week and since much of our readership is made up by people who have devoted their...

Over the last few months, we’ve written extensively about Artificial Intelligence. Mostly we’ve been focusing on the usual issues; its...

Last week, in a B&G Report titled, “Information Can Be a Buried Treasure,” we wrote about our concerns about the use of artificial...

More than ten years ago, leaders in West Haven, Connecticut (where the Greene of Barrett and Greene grew up), began planning a fabulous...

For years, we’ve been writing about the importance of good data, based upon which states, counties and cities can make good decisions....

As anyone who has been reading our work in the past knows, we’re strong believers in making sure that there’s ample use of evidence when...

In the wake of the pandemic, we co-wrote a paper for the IBM Center for the Business of Government in collaboration with renowned...