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B&G REPORT.
The B&G Report features newsy items relating to a wide variety of state and local government management topics, including state and local performance audit, state and local performance management, government budgeting, state and local human resource issues, and a variety of other public sector issues.
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THE DEATH OF HISTORY?
Last week, in a B&G Report titled, “Information Can Be a Buried Treasure,” we wrote about our concerns about the use of artificial...
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3 min read
GOVERNMENT IS MORE THAN RED VS BLUE
We’re looking forward to participating in a panel at the upcoming annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration...
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3 min read
SHORTCOMINGS OF EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE
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...
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3 min read
WILDFIRES: HOW TO MANAGE A CRISIS
In the wake of the pandemic, we co-wrote a paper for the IBM Center for the Business of Government in collaboration with renowned...
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2 min read
THE PUBLIC SECTOR TOWER OF BABEL
We were involved in a meeting the other day, in which a couple of participants were talking about agile government. We hear that term...
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2 min read
RX FOR PERFORMANCE PITFALLS
Last week’s B&G Report included the second in a series of lists, compiled by experts, about managing performance. The first such list,...
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4 min read
PERFORMANCE READER’S GUIDE (PART 2)
We received a tremendous response a few weeks ago when we published “A Reader’s Guide to Government Performance” by John Kamensky, a...
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3 min read
A READER'S GUIDE TO GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE
Several decades ago, when we first developed a passion for performance management, we leaned upon a cadre of people who were pioneering...
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3 min read
AN OPEN LETTER TO ELECTED OFFICIALS
Good day, Last week we were talking to an inquisitive person who is rising in the local public sector world. The conversation turned to...
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3 min read
WHY DO PEOPLE LAUGH WHEN WE TELL THEM WHAT WE DO?
When we attend social gatherings like weddings and are seated with people who don’t know us, one of the obligatory first questions...
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3 min read
POTHOLES ON THE AI ROAD
We’re not scared of AI. It doesn’t take much historical memory to know that pretty much any new technology brings out fear and...
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3 min read
NINE TIPS FOR IMPROVING MEETINGS
Over more than 30 years of covering state and local government, we can’t recall ever talking to a public sector manager who loved going...
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3 min read
THE GRAVEYARD OF GOOD IDEAS
About a year ago, we wrote a B&G report titled “ Is Speedy Government Good Government? ” in which we made the case that the pressure for...
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3 min read
EMPLOYEE SURVEYS' TWO-EDGED SWORD
Employee surveys can provide extremely valuable information for supervisors, managers and HR officials in cities, counties, and states...
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2 min read
OUR RESPONSE TO RESPONSE TIMES
When it comes to many vital public services, including police, fire and EMS, one of the primary – and sometimes the only – performance...
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3 min read
TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST
As we recently reported in the second of a two-part series about Trust In Government for Route Fifty, about 45% of Americans have a less...
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2 min read
FAILURE AS A KEY TO SUCCESS
We’ve just been catching up on one of our favorite podcasts, Freakonomics Radio, and came across a wonderful conversation with Samuel...
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3 min read
Negative Audits Can Be Good News
Several years ago – right before the start of the pandemic -- our book, The Promises and Pitfalls of Performance-Informed Management was...
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2 min read
Attack on Auditor Independence in Iowa
Last night, the Iowa Senate quickly passed a bill that effectively limits the State Auditor’s independent oversight by restricting his...
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3 min read
Measuring & Managing Business Tax Incentives
by Dr. Ellen Harpel, Founder of Smart Incentives and Randall Bauer, Director, PFM Group Consulting Randall Bauer Ellen Harpel As...
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3 min read
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