http://www.innovations.harvard.edu This section explores innovations and ideas aimed at improving the functioning of government and confidence in government, and it also discusses trends in governments across the world. The topics of the section include civic engagement and social capital, civil liberties, democratization, E-government, electoral politics, leadership, and privatization. en-us Copyright 2009, Government Innovators Network Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:34:00 -0500 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:34:00 -0500 info@innovations.harvard.edu http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=128971 In recent years, human rights have become a prominent issue in politics and society, creating a new idea of concept of what human rights entails, extending to include not only social rights, but economic and political rights as well. As human rights have become a central element of international policy, it is important to highlight instances where great strides in their development have occurred ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=5017 Human security is fundamentally concerned with helping people to deal with unforeseeable threats and sudden downturns, whether international financial crises, environmental disasters or incapacitating illnesses.  This paper argues that NGOs, as one of the most visible sets of actors in the related fields of human development and human rights, can play a significant role in helping to achieve ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=3310 In July 1991, the Russian Federation passed legislation permitting tenants of municipal and departmental housing (owned by enterprises or federal bodies) to purchase their units. This article examines the antecedents of this legislation and gives a detailed description of the law's provisions. It presents information on the early experience with the implementation of the program in three cities ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=9291 This paper was prepared for the Program on Education Policy and Governance conference: Mobilizing the Private Sector for Public Education. The conference, held on October 5 and 6, 2005 at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, was co-sponsored by the World Bank. To access all of the papers presented at the conference, click here.    Abstract: This paper reviews the evidence ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=2468 Paper presented at the 5th Global Forum on Innovation in Government. Putting the citizen at the centre of a "whole-of-government" approach to service delivery through the use of information and communication technology continues to drive the Government of Canada's vision for e-government. Consulting Canadians is a critical part of the Government of Canada's approach to building e-government. Between ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=3309 This transcript of senior fellow Marilyn Moon's testimony before the Senate Finance Committee outlines ways to improve the Medicare program so it fairly meet its goals. Trained as a traditional economist, Moon notes that in the name of "cost savings" and "efficiency," a number of changes in Medicare are being proposed that violate basic economic principles.  If competition ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=8970 BIGS is a watchdog NGO in Bandung City, and has become well known for aggressively researching and disseminating budget data for the local government. Since BIGS began focusing on budget transparency in 2002, it has promoted greater government accountability by making citizens more aware of how government allocates and spends money. This has resulted not only in greater public awareness of government ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=3301 In the early 1980s, public schools, particularly in urban areas, were struggling with changing demographics and a need for greater community commitment to public education. Small independent community-based organizations, called local education funds (LEFs), were first established at this time by community leaders to bridge the gap between communities and their schools. Twenty years later, the ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=2488 Presentation by Daniel Kaufman at USAID, Washington, DC on the key issues and challenges in governance and anti-corruption programs at the World Bank http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=9394 Chambers of commerce can play an important role in addressing workforce housing needs. Indeed, many of them are doing so — particularly in communities in which high housing costs add to the cost of doing business. The initiatives undertaken by such chambers could benefit from the involvement of housing professionals. For their part, housing professionals could usefully solicit the involvement ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=7009 This is Vol. 2, No.10, June 2005 issue of Bob Behn's Public Management Report, "an occasional (and maybe insightful) examination of the issues, dilemmas, challenges, and opportunities in leadership, governance, management, and performance in public agencies." Robert D. Behn is a lecturer at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government specializing in governance, leadership, and the management ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=3306 This article describes the private housing transactions that are emerging as a large portion of Moscow's housing stock is transferred into private ownership and becomes available for sale or rent. An industry of real estate brokers is developing to facilitate those transactions. The structure of this industry is evolving and, so far, reflects the fragmented nature of the housing market it serves ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=3201 The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) has been the de facto federal rental housing production program since its creation in the Tax Reform Act of 1986. In this article, using a detailed database on 2,554 LIHTC projects, the authors analyze the costs of building these projects, where they are built, their financial viability, whom they serve, who finances them, and the size of the subsidies ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=9383 The stagnation and decline in economic activity since 1998 put a heavy burden on the middle and low-income segments of the population. This has affected the status and development of health. The social effects of fiscal policy have accentuated somewhat the socio-economic disparities that emerged during the years of civil war. In fact Lebanon enjoyed a high standard of healthcare precivil war (1975 ... http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=9270 This paper was prepared for the Program on Education Policy and Governance conference: Mobilizing the Private Sector for Public Education. The conference, held on October 5 and 6, 2005 at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, was co-sponsored by the World Bank. To access all of the papers presented at the conference, click here.   In 1991, Colombia attempted to improve ...