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This week: chat with a bureaucrat in Utah; ensuring inmates have state IDs upon release in Tennessee; and deadline extended for the $100,000 Innovations in American Government Awards
Government Innovators Network 
 
April 7, 2016
In This Issue

Feature: Deadline Extended for Innovations in American Government Awards

What's New

In the News

Data-Smart City Solutions

Better, Faster, Cheaper

Innovations in American Government seal

Deadline Extended for Innovations in American Government Awards

Apply by April 29!

Do you know of a creative and effective government initiative that could present a compelling application for the $100,000 Innovations in American Government Award? We encourage you to submit a nomination. Offered by Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Innovations Award is the nation’s premier award for the public sector. It recognizes programs that demonstrate creative and effective government at its best. Apply now>>

WHAT'S NEW


Bitcoin

Bitcoin Without the Bite: Can Digital Currencies Help Governance?

Innovators Insights Blog

In our latest blog post, Dwijo Goswami explores how digital currencies, like bitcoin and Tunisia’s e-Dinar, can help improve governance: "From the perspective of policymakers, [digital currency] represents an opportunity to resolve age-old problems with cash transactions." Read more>>

Hands with medical gloves on holding elderly hands

Health Care Delivery Innovation Competition

MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

J-PAL North America has launched a new Health Care Delivery Innovation Competition that will support US federal, state, and local health agencies and other health care organizations in developing compelling and reliable evidence of the impact of innovative programs. Learn more and apply by June 17>>

IN THE NEWS


Orem Officials Invite You to Chat With a Bureaucrat

Residents in Orem, Utah who are interested in learning more about their city and how it is run can now participate in periodic online social media conversations with representatives from city departments. Under “Chat With a Bureaucrat,” residents who have difficulty attending city council or other meetings, or want to learn more about their government, can engage in real time with city officials from select departments, starting with water and sewer systems and planning. Down the road, department representatives from building permits/inspections, finance, parks, recreation, economic development, or the library may log on. The chats are being scheduled during the weekday lunch hour so the maximum number of people can attend. In a further move to increase transparency, the city also recently started streaming its city council meetings on YouTube.

Boston to Test These 4 Pilot Programs to Create More Middle-Income Housing

Boston’s Housing Innovation Lab, launched last fall, will pilot four new programs to help create and sustain middle-income housing in the city. With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the city will (1) test a density bonus policy that would relax height restrictions to increase the number of affordable units, (2) approve more “innovation units” that have lower square-foot minimums than are currently mandated by the city, (3) create a home-buying portal that helps new home-buyers choose neighborhoods, loans, and types of government assistance, and (4) aid the proliferation of community land trusts, nonprofits formed to take over parcels of land to create beneficial uses. The success of the pilots will determine whether they will be expanded to other neighborhoods.

BART Will Pay Commuters Not to Travel During Rush Hour

As San Francisco’s population mushrooms and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (“BART”) system is getting more crowded, transportation officials are exploring “fun and games” to entice people to take off-peak trains. Under the federally funded six-month pilot called “BART Perks,” which will start this spring, passengers who shift their commuter trips away from busy periods will receive points that can be redeemed for small cash payments or the chance to play games like spin-the-wheel or Snakes and Ladders for a chance at cash prizes of up to $100. Officials note that if only 1,250 people can be persuaded to commute just a little earlier or later, crowding on trains and station platforms can be significantly reduced. The pilot is based on successful programs operating in Singapore and Bangalore, India.

New program to Give TN Prison Inmates a State ID Upon Release

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) has partnered with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security to ensure eligible offenders released from prison have a valid state identification card or driver's license. Over 90 percent of the state’s inmates are released back into the community, and lacking proper identification can be a barrier, as newly released prisoners look for a job and a place to live, leading to recidivism. The TDOC will install driver’s license issuance equipment in its facilities and will process ID applications and renewals as eligible offenders near release. Officials note that aside from helping offenders, this intervention benefits society by both reducing tax burdens for housing returning inmates and increasing public safety in general.

Israel Launches First Ever Video Distress Call Service

Israel is becoming the first country to integrate video calling into its emergency response call system. Many such systems only take voice calls and are not able to determine locations or witness the scene of events, leading to slower responses, miscommunication, and wasted resources. Under the new nationwide platform, victims or bystanders can use an app on their phone to communicate by video with emergency services, allowing first responders to see live video of the victim, chat via text, and determine the exact location of the incident. The system is downloaded via an app created by a startup. If successful, it could be replicated among other emergency services systems worldwide.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Overcoming the Data Gap

There are several keys to success that cities can employ to help create value for their residents and unlock the potential of responsive governance.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


‘Pay for Success’: An Idea With Bipartisan Appeal

Two new initiatives highlight the opportunity pay-for-success presents for prevention programs that can yield long-term savings but might not get funded through the traditional appropriations process.

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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