Governing : Issues and Applications from the Front Lines of Government

by Ehrenhalt, Alan

• ISBN13: 9781568027586
• ISBN10: 1568027583
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Author Biography

An insightful observer and writer on state and local matters, Alan Ehrenhalt is executive editor of Governing magazine. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Slate magazine and is the recipient of the Carey McWilliams Award (2000) for career contributions by a journalist to the field of political science Tom Arrandale is a Livingston, Montana, freelancer who writes primarily about government pollution control and resource management policy. He writes a regular Governing magazine column on state and local environmental issues, in addition to occasional feature articles. He holds a bachelor of arts in history from Dartmouth College and a master of arts in journalism from the University of Missouri Gary Enos is executive editor at Manisses Communications Group, a Providence, R.I.-based publisher of newsletters, books and a magazine for mental health and addiction treatment professionals. He is a freelance writer on a variety of topics, including economic development, health care and growth management. He was a staff writer at the former City & State newspaper in New York City and at the Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Enos is a graduate of Brown University and has a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Alan Ehrenhalt is the executive editor of Governing magazine, and an insightful observer and writer on state and local matters. His books include The United States of Ambition, The Lost City, and Democracy in the Mirror. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Slate magazine, and is the recipient of the Carey McWilliams Award (2000) for career contributions by a journalist to the field of political science Alan Greenblatt is a staff writer for Governing magazine, where he covers politics, health care and higher education. Before coming to Governing, Greenblatt was a writer for Congressional Quarterly, winning the National Press Club's Sandy Hume award for political reporting. He also writes frequently about books and the performing arts for the Washington Post and other publications Rob Gurwitt has written for Governing since its debut issue in 1987. He is now a freelance writer concentrating on how communities grapple with change. His articles have appeared in Mother Jones, Preservation, DoubleTake and The Wilson Quarterly. He graduated from Swarthmore College with a bachelor of arts in political science, and lives in Vermont Donald F. Kettl is Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science at the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also Nonresident Senior Fellow at Washington's Brookings Institution. He has previously taught at Columbia University, the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University. He is the author of and contributor to, among other works, The Global Public Management Revolution: A Report on the Transformation of Governance and Reinventing Government: A Fifth-Year Report Card. Professor Kettl has consulted broadly for government organizations at all levels of government and regularly contributes to discussions of public issues on radio and television. He has served as chair of the Wisconsin Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Campaign Finance Reform and chair of the Wisconsin Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on State-Local Partnerships Penelope Lemov is the associate editor of Governing Magazine. As a reporter for Governing, she has been covering municipal finance for 14 years. As associate editor, she is in charge of the Business of Government section of the magazine, which includes news coverage of state and local government activities in finance, infrastructure, economic development, technology, management and environment. Before coming to Governing, she was Business Editor of Builder Magazine Charles Mahtesian was a staff writer at Governing magazine from 1992 to 2000. He wrote extensively about governors, state legislatures and urban politics. Before that, Mahtesian was a political writer for Congressional Quarterly's Weekly Report and a contributing writer to CQ's Politics in America and Congressional Districts in the 1990s. A native of Philadelphia, Mahtesian earned his undergraduate degree from Catholic University and a law degree from American University in Washington, D.C. Ellen Perlman has been a reporter with Governing Magazine for six years and before that spent six and a half years as a reporter for City & State Magazine, another publication for state and local government officials that has since been incorporated into Governing. Her reporting focus is on technology and she covers trends such as state and local government outsourcing and governments' move to the Internet. In addition to writing technology features for the magazine she also writes a technology column that appears every other month. It also can be found on Governing's Web site. She has a graduate degree in journalism from Northwestern University and has won several awards for her work, including a National Press Club award for Washington correspondence Christopher Swope is a Governing staff writer based in New York. In four years with the magazine, he has covered housing, economic development, management and other state and local public policy issues. Before coming to Governing, Swope was a researcher in Washington, D.C. with Congressional Quarterly's Weekly Report. He studied journalism and political science at American University

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Don Ketti
Introduction	xi
Structure	1	(20)
Regional Agitator	2	(4)
In Erie County, New York, the top official is saying regionalism or bust
Nobody in Charge	6	(5)
When everyone seems to hold power in local government, it often turns out that no one does
Cry, the Beleaguered County	11	(4)
County governments are at the bottom of the devolution food chain, with growing responsibilities and shrinking resources
Good Government, Bad Government	15	(6)
Across the street from each other sit the offices of one of the country's best-run cities and one of its worst-run counties. How long can both of them stay that way?
Money	21	(13)
Budget Shocks	22	(3)
States have come to expect a cash windfall when budget numbers come out in the spring. This year, they didn't get one
Heading for a Hemorrhage	25	(3)
State health care is turning into a money-eating monster again. There's no obvious prescription
Taxing the Weightless Economy	28	(4)
The American economy is now built on information and services, but state tax codes still read as they did in the heyday of heavy industry
The Game of Mystery Bucks	32	(2)
Lottery revenues in most states are earmarked for specific, popular programs. At least that's what the voters were led to believe
Performance	34	(15)
Restless for Results	35	(4)
Baltimore's mayor turns government into a numbers game---and gets results
Raising Alabama	39	(4)
Can a reform-minded governor use performance measurement to bring a backward state into the modern age?
The Buzz Over Balance	43	(4)
Some government managers are putting the ``balanced scorecard'' to good use. Others are still trying to figure out what it is
In Search of a World-Class Mission Statement	47	(2)
Is your government ready for the global Super Bowl?
Personnel	49	(14)
Ways to Sway an M.P.A.	50	(2)
Lots of public-administration graduates aren't going into public administration. Governments are trying harder to lure them
Reckoning with Rewards	52	(2)
Linking performance with pay seems like an obvious thing to do. Making it work in the real world, however, is no easy trick
Fad Mad	54	(4)
Government employees call it the ``flavor of the month.'' The top brass's fascination with trendy management ideas is driving them nuts
Who Needs Civil Service?	58	(5)
The restraints of civil service bedevil many a government manager. One state has done away with them altogether
Technology	63	(18)
Behind the Portal	64	(5)
Reaching out to citizens via the Web means governments themselves have to change
Our Dying Data	69	(3)
The biggest threat to preserving government data: relentless obsolescence
Technotrouble	72	(4)
Big government technology projects are often beset by long delays, cost overruns, and outright failures. But there are ways to minimize the risk
High-Tech, Low-Tech	76	(5)
Within a single state government---and even in a single agency---it's not hard to find Space Age technology and Stone Age technology existing side by side
Regulation	81	(19)
The Riskiest Business	82	(5)
State insurance regulation is under fire from every direction these days. Should the entire structure be junked?
The Lonely Leap	87	(5)
Only one state has privatized child welfare on a large scale. It's hard to say whether Kansas' experiment is a success or a failure
The Trouble with Zoning	92	(5)
Cities all over the country are discovering that their zoning codes have become more of a problem than a solution
Stinging the Blues	97	(3)
When Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans convert to for-profit status, states will have to fight for a benefit that ought to be automatic
Policy	100	(19)
Rehab Refugees	101	(4)
As grim high-rises give way to leafy townhomes, public housing is looking a lot better. But where are the low-income tenants going?
Rendezvous with Density	105	(5)
As sprawl threatens even the distant suburbs, ``smart growth'' advocates are finding that they can't avoid dealing with density
The Case of the Missing Schools	110	(5)
Neighborhood schools are back---or they would be, if there were enough of them
The Stadium Trap	115	(4)
The taxpayers want the team to stay in town. But they'd rather not buy the team a new place to play
Federalism	119	(12)
`Save Us From the States!'	120	(5)
More and more often, businesses are going to Washington with a plea: Protect us from state regulation. They'd rather deal with a single federal devil than 50 state demons
E-conomics Problem	125	(4)
The issue of taxing Internet commerce is bringing state and local government budget concerns to a crisis point. Ironically, Internet technology may end up providing the solution
Putting Bush to the Test	129	(1)
While the new president talks about education, he faces other decisions that will have a bigger impact on federalism
Real-Life Federalism	130	(1)
In crafting a new framework for federalism, the Bush administration needs to realize that the issues are regulatory, not monetary
Ethics	131	(12)
Winning Without Food and Cigars	132	(4)
When you can't even buy a lawmaker a cup of coffee, you have to find other ways to lobby
Whistleblowers Anonymous	136	(3)
In every state EPA, there are dissidents who think polluters get off too easily. And they're glad to talk about it
Nepotism and the Meat Ax	139	(2)
Alan Ehrenhalt on the American nepotism wars
The Ethical Conflicts That Won't Go Away	141	(2)
Once money enters a particular political system, it is unlikely to go away
Leadership	143	(18)
Mayor Brown & Mr. Bobb	144	(5)
The power-sharing arrangement between Oakland's mayor and city manager is an unusual one. So far, it seems to be working. Is it a fluke, or can it last?
Rudderless in Hartford	149	(3)
Connecticut's capital, once poised for a comeback, has faltered. The problem may be the structure of its government
The Merchant Mayor	152	(5)
Boston's mayor has long preached that neighborhood commerce is the basis for urban revival. Now, he's got evidence
Good Old Boy, Circa 2001	157	(4)
With autocratic House speakers a memory, Mississippi's Tim Ford has found common ground: respect for the institution
Index	161