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Embedded social workers help ex-offenders with reentry in Delaware; West Virginia tests voting by blockchain; and check out our new searchable index of data-driven maps and visualizations
Government Innovators Network
 
April 26, 2018

WHAT'S NEW


New "Solutions Search" Database

Data-Smart City Solutions

 

This publicly accessible tool indexes interactive maps and visualizations, spanning civic issue areas such as transportation, public health, and housing, that are helping data innovators more accurately understand and illustrate challenges, leading to optimized solutions. Read more>>

 

Why Every Local Government Needs a New Operating System

Better, Faster, Cheaper

Technological innovation on a piece-by-piece basis isn't enough. More fundamental change is needed. A new book from Stephen Goldsmith and Neil Kleiman details how public leaders can support consistent, jurisdiction-wide innovation. Read more>>

IN THE NEWS


West Virginia Becomes First State to Test Mobile Voting by Blockchain in a Federal Election

West Virginia will be the first state to use blockchain in a federal election to help secure the absentee ballots of military voters and their families who are deployed or overseas. Under the pilot, active-duty military personnel will be able to vote via a blockchain-based app on their mobile device after biometric verification is obtained. Officials hope that the technology will ease voting for military members, who often do not have access to postal service or, if they do, must mail their ballots at great personal expense. Additionally, the system should instantly and accurately transmit votes to the election clerks. The pilot project is set for the state’s May 8 primary elections and will be restricted to two counties; if it is successful, the state will explore allowing all eligible military voters to use it in the November general elections. Some elections and cryptography experts have expressed concerns about whether blockchain, or any type of online voting system, can provide enough security.

For further explanation of blockchain, please read our blog post on the topic>>

Teachers Can’t Afford Miami Rents. The County Has a Plan: Let Them Live at School.

To help address the widening gap between teachers’ salaries and Miami housing prices, Miami-Dade County wants to build residential units on school property for teachers to live there at below-market rates. Current proposals include the addition of a residential unit floor to the construction of a new mid-rise middle school and a larger housing complex with hundreds of apartments adjacent to another school. Miami would join several other cities across the US where schools are providing affordable housing to their workforces on their own land.

In Bid to Help Former Prisoners Succeed, State Brings Social Workers on Board

The Delaware Division of Social Services is hoping to make it easier for ex-offenders to access social services and increase their chances of reentry success by embedding a social worker and supervisor at one of the state’s parole and probation offices. Normally, clients must travel to the Division of Social Services in order to access the services of a social worker. The embedded social workers will help these ex-offenders with activities such as obtaining new identification, finding employment, and connecting with treatment programs, if needed. Officials hope to eventually deploy social workers in all probation and parole offices statewide by leveraging existing resources.

New York City Bike Safety Program Allows Cyclists to Follow Pedestrian Signals

In order to help increase the safety of bicyclists at intersections in New York City, the city is giving riders a “head start” on cars at red lights under a new pilot program. Cyclists can now ride through the walk signal at 50 designated intersections throughout the city that employ the head start signals, also known as Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), which allow pedestrians to start crossing the street before drivers are allowed to pass through intersections or turn through crosswalks. Cyclists are still required to yield to pedestrians when turning. Washington, DC, has allowed cyclists to use LPIs since 2013.

To Help Strapped Borrowers, States Turn to Student Loan Ombudsmen

As students struggle with outstanding loan debt and the frustrations in dealing with loan servicers, several states have created "loan ombudsmen" offices. In Virginia, the new office has been created to advocate for borrowers, renegotiate loan terms to help them to ease their repayment burden, seek permission from servicers to delay payments, and help borrowers transition into careers where loan forgiveness is an option. Washington, Connecticut, California, Illinois, and the District of Columbia have enacted a student loan “bill of rights” or created an ombudsman office or something similar since 2015 and legislation is pending is several other states. Although representatives of the student loan servicing industry are generally not opposed to the idea of state ombudsmen, they do have concerns with the implementation of loan servicing regulations that vary from state to state.

In Britain’s Playgrounds, ‘Bringing in Risk’ to Build Resilience

Across the pond, schools and parks divisions in Britain are developing risk-enhanced playgrounds that allow children to stretch themselves with new tools and situations to increase their resilience and creative abilities in controlled environments. The hope is that these opportunities will help children become more self-reliant and better equipped for adulthood. Shifting from what some have seen as increasingly sterilized playground experiences, these places might include more natural features, climbing towers, as well “play” items such as two-by-fours, loose crates and bricks, and even workbenches with hammers and saws. The agency of Ofsted, which inspects British schools, will now also train inspectors to consider the positive aspects of risk, as well as the negative aspects, when evaluating and considering these spaces. Australia has also recently introduced new standards for playground equipment with similar instructions for its operators, and cities and school districts in Canada and Sweden are also joining the trend.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Potholes, Rats and Criminals: A Framework for AI Ethical Risk

The AI and Governance Assembly — a collaborative initiative of the MIT Media Lab and the Harvard Berkman Klein Center — developed a framework for evaluating the ethical risk of artificial intelligence applications, where risk is defined as the likelihood of causing serious harm through discrimination, inaccuracy, unfairness, or lack of explanation.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


Eight Strategies for Cities to Make the Most of Contracting

By applying a strategic lens to the procurement process, local governments can transform how they partner with the private sector.

OF INTEREST


Why Police Should Monitor Social Media to Prevent Crime

In this opinion piece for Wired, Chris Bousquet argues that despite the Cambridge Analytica debacle, the approach should not be to nix technology, but instead to use it more thoughtfully — with citizen input and an emphasis on civil rights from the outset.

ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER


Innovators Insights is the news digest from the Government Innovators Network on the latest in government innovations. This digest is sent out every two weeks and is compiled and written by the editorial staff of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. In each issue, the editorial team identifies top policy and programmatic news that is related to government innovations so that you can stay informed about creative government at its best.

Editor: Jessica Engelman
Researcher & Writer: Brendan St. Amant
Note: The stories in this newsletter link to source articles on other websites and may not be available after a certain length of time.



ABOUT THE ASH CENTER


The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.

 
 
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