Performance Management
Without Users, Performance Measurement Is Useless
Shelley Metzenbaum, Government Executive
Getting meaningful metrics to the right people drives improvements.
Performance management pitfalls
Howard Steinman, Federal Times
Four pitfalls that can lead to the failure of these programs to realize their full potential.
Support for Performance-Based Funding: The Role of Political Ideology, Performance, and Dysfunctional Information Environments
Thomas Rabovsky, Public Administration Review
The author finds that acceptance of performance as a basis for funding is driven by a variety of factors, including partisanship, organizational performance, dysfunction in the external information environment, and political ideology.

Customer Service
Guess Where the Government Ranks in Customer Satisfaction?
Lara Shane, Government Executive
Agencies could better serve citizens and businesses by streamlining websites.

Innovation
The Core Features of the Data-Powered City
Stephen Goldsmith, Governing
Today’s most innovative civic leaders are using technology to fulfill the promise of efficient and responsive local government.

Open Government
When Citizens Decide How Public Money Is Spent
John Kamensky, Governing
A few American communities are experimenting with participatory budgeting at the neighborhood level. Their experiences can help guide others interested in giving the idea a try.
Who really owns that government data?
Colby Hochmuth, Federal Computer Week
The latest kerfuffle over stimulus spending data points to a wider problem with agencies’ dependence on proprietary systems.