ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Performance Management
Government That Works: Making It Safe to Report Bad Results
John Bernard, Government Executive
The failure to meet targets is a golden opportunity.

Analysis and Evaluation
Cost-benefit analysis 101 for policymakers & public managers: An interview with Henry Levin, Professor, Columbia University
Andy Feldman, Gov Innovator Podcast
Knowing “what works” in policy is important, but so is knowing what policy alternatives cost.
The importance of administrative data for learning what works in public policy: An interview with Raj Chetty, Professor, Harvard University
Andy Feldman, Gov Innovator Podcast
Why is administrative data, also known as big data, important for learning what works in public policy? And what steps can help the U.S. strengthen its data infrastructure for policy-relevant research?

Collaboration
What Does It Really Take to Get Things Done?
John Kamensky, Government Executive
Research shows why cross-functional collaboration is so important.

Risk Management
Five Ways to Avoid GAO’s High-Risk List
Robin Camarote, Government Executive
The challenge isn’t just performance measurement, but also communication.

Performance Management
New York City’s VendorStat initiative for social services
Andy Feldman, Gov Innovator Podcast
How can public agencies give contractors — such as social service providers — more flexibility to design their own strategies while also ensuring greater monitoring of, and accountability for, results? New York City aims to do just that in the area of welfare-to-work services through its VendorStat initiative.

Customer Service
Behind Philly311: Six Steps to Innovative Customer Services
Jason Shueh, Government Technology
Philadelphia has created a blueprint for developing 311 services that are both innovative and supportive.

Open Government
Participatory Democracy’s Emerging Tools
Beth Noveck, Governing
What started as groupware in the business world is providing better ways for governments to collaborate with citizens.
Open Data Evolution: From Increasing Transparency to Engaging Citizens
Pamela Martineau, Government Technology
Small, medium and large cities share how open data efforts are evolving in their communities.

Performance Management
Buried in the Budget: Ways to Rev Up Performance
John Kamensky, Government Executive
What agencies need to measure what works and change what doesn’t.

Analytics/Evaluation
Closing the Federal Data Skills Gap
Innovategov
Turning ideas into action will require overcoming agency obstacles, including lack of training, cultural barriers, and funding.
Chief Data Officers: Shaping One of the Newest Positions in Government
Adam Stone, Government Technology
CDOs discuss the work they do and the meaning of their jobs in the overall structure of civic governance.

Customer Service
Another highly cost-effective management tool
Steve Kelman, Federal Computer Week
Steve Kelman spotlights the way some hospitals are using survey results to radically improve customer service.

Efficiency/Reorganization
The Paradoxical Truth About Efficiency Commissions
Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene, Governing
Many states have them, but few evaluate whether efficiency commissions are themselves efficient.

Innovation
The nation’s first Pay for Success initiative for early education: An interview with Ben McAdams, Mayor, Salt Lake County
Andy Feldman, GovInnovator Blog
The initiative involves a $7 million investment in private capital to fund the expansion of the early education for at-risk children. The goal is to increase school readiness and academic performance among 3- and 4-year-olds and reduce the number of children who require special education and remedial services.

Leadership
Government’s Management Failures to Come
Paul Posner, Governing
They’re inevitable for a host of reasons, and the blame will fall on top elected officials. Can they fix problems before they become full-blown crises?

Performance Management
New performance initiatives in Cincinnati city government: An interview with Chad Kenney, Chief Performance Officer
Andy Feldman, Gov Innovator Blog
Initiatives include the introduction of city-wide strategic goals, department head performance agreements and the launch of an innovation lab. Coming in June, the city will also launch CincyStat, the city’s PerformanceStat initiative.

Analytics/Evaluation
Improving public policy through behavioral economics: An interview with Raj Chetty, Professor, Harvard University
Andy Feldman, Gov Innovator Blog
How can tools from the behavioral sciences, such as behavioral economics, improve the design and implementation of public policies?

Innovation
The Five Paradoxes of Continuous Improvement
Joakim Ahlstrom, Government Executive
Common approaches to innovation can actually kill creativity.
Want Results? Why Wait? Try Rapid Prototyping
Christian Bason, Governing
Governments can use this approach from the world of design to help them effectively and quickly evaluate new policies.
Utah Applies Social Impact Bonds to Early Childhood Education
Stephen Goldsmith, Governing
The investment tool is catching on as a better, safer way to invest scarce public resources.
Harvard’s Ash Center Honors Innovative State and Local Government Projects
Michael Grass, Government Executive
The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation announced its 2015 Bright Ideas honorees, which recognize 124 innovative ideas across all levels of government.

Open Government
The Path to Improving Civic Engagement
Tony Andersen, Governing
More can be done to bring people into the civic conversation. It’s good for governments, communities and our civic process.

Performance Management
Bipartisan Duo to Reintroduce Bill on Evidence-Based Policymaking
Charles Clark, Government Executive
Legislation would create a panel to study expanding the use of data to assess program performance.
Stats Surge Continues in Cities and States
Timothy Clark, Government Executive
A look at several “second-generation” stat programs whose ambitions reach beyond monitoring of bread-and-butter municipal activities such as pothole, sidewalk and streetlight repair, tree trimming, trash collection and snow removal.
Why strategies get stuck
Brian Gagnon, Federal Computer Week
The best organizations go beyond establishing buy-in and an understanding of strategy by unlocking employees’ capacity to execute.

Analytics/Evaluation
Amid Open Data Push, Agencies Feel Urge for Analytics
Jack Moore, Nextgov
Agencies are turning to industry, academia and outside researchers for cutting-edge analytics tools to parse through their data to derive insights.

Open Government
Is Open Data Running Out of Steam?
Steve Towns, Government Technology
City experts say better community partnerships could reinvigorate “check box” transparency.