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This week: empowering municipal employees in Denver, giving away money in the Netherlands, and saving water in Philadelphia
Government Innovators Network 
 
August 13, 2015
In This Issue

What's New

In the News

Data-Smart City Solutions

Better, Faster, Cheaper

 

WHAT'S NEW


Photo of Courtney D. Sharpe

Challenges to Democracy

An Ash Center Project

Guest blogger Courtney D. Sharpe recaps the latest in a series of efforts by My Brother’s Keeper Philadelphia and city agencies to engage youth in a dialogue on community-police relations. Read more>>
 

classroom with adult students

Harvard Executive Education

Harvard Kennedy School

The "Creating Collaborative Solutions: Innovations in Governance" executive education program at Harvard Kennedy School explores new methods of working across traditional jurisdictions and sectors to find collaborative solutions to emerging social problems. Apply by August 18>>

IN THE NEWS


Libraries Are the Future of Manufacturing in the United States

Public libraries are transforming into indispensable tools for the manufacturing age. They are investing in machines like 3-D printers, laser cutters, and milling machines, that can help make anyone with a library card become an inventor or creator. Applications range from the sophisticated, such as surgeons using the library’s printer to create a 3-D replica of a patient’s skull, to entrepreneurial, such as for those who need a cheap prototype of their first product to get their fledgling business off the ground. Libraries are also creating and expanding “makerspaces,” where people can go to access resources and exchange ideas in order to create and invent. Support for these changes is coming from public, private, and foundation support.

A Dutch city is giving money away to test the “basic income” theory

In January 2016, the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands will conduct a social experiment by paying welfare recipients a “basic income” stipend without the usual restrictions, in addition to any government assistance people already receive. The idea behind the plan is to see if those who receive public money would actually be inclined not to work or whether the supplemental assistance works in tandem with traditional income sources to lead to better outcomes. Under the plan, in partnership with the University of Utrecht, around 300 residents may be eligible, and 50 would continue to receive disbursements even if they obtain employment that fully covers their costs. Other control groups will also be established for comparison purposes.

New Philly App Turns Saving Water Into Addictive Game

To help building owners visualize how green building infrastructure can become a useful modification that pays back, the Philadelphia Water Department has created Credits Explorer, an app that lets users virtually modify their properties with green storm-water infrastructure. These modifications, which users can mix and match on the app, include green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavement, underground basins, and other tools such as plants, soil, and stone that absorb storm water. The app then calculates how much property owners will save on their current storm water utility fees through credits. The city currently spends $110 million per year managing storm water, which is underwritten by a storm water fee to businesses.

Sydney Declutters Parking Signs With E-Ink

To avoid the chore of changing signs to reflect coming events or restrictions based on different hours of the day, the Australian city of Sydney has adopted e-ink-equipped parking signs. Around 100 of the signs, which use a similar type of low-power display as an e-book reader, have been installed in the city; they are hitched to a solar panel, equipped with wireless broadband, and updated remotely. Supporters note that the signs can ultimately save money by avoiding the need to install temporary signage.

$25K starts college fund for VT babies

To both encourage thinking about college at an early age and to jumpstart saving for it, Vermont will set aside $250 for post-secondary education for every child born to Vermont residents, or $500 for children born into families earning less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level. While Vermont has top high school graduate rates, college rates are low. About 6,000 children are born in Vermont each year, and every child through the law would receive an account with an initial deposit of money. The Vermont program is modeled after a similar program in Maine.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Digital Government Is the New Social Network

New social platforms driven by open data often produce positive social results in unanticipated ways. The result of these changes — in both technology and the transparency movement (internal and external) — means that multiple parties are now involved in socializing the governmental problem-solving process. That is why it’s interesting to look at government as a new digital platform, much like a social network.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


Good Ideas From Government's Front Lines

There is no question that a culture of empowerment, where listening and doing go hand in hand, improves responsiveness to citizens' needs and demands. Denver’s Peak Academy is one of the country's most successful efforts to turn the insights of municipal workers into meaningful results.

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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