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Shark Tank for government; librarians breathe new life into local news; and, check out the Results-Driven Contracting Solutions Book from the Government Performance Lab

 

Government Innovators Network

 
March 15, 2018

WHAT'S NEW


two women working at computer together in office

Results-Driven Contracting Solutions

Government Performance Lab at Harvard Kennedy School

Read the Government Performance Lab's first edition of its "Results-Driven Contracting Solutions Book," which marks the culmination of the GPL's efforts to help more than 25 cities across the country implement results-driven contracting strategies. The book highlights the outcomes, lessons learned, and initial results of 17 of the What Works Cities projects across a wide range of issue areas including human services, technology, and public works. Read more>>

children in classroom at computers

Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition

Poverty Action Lab at MIT

The J-PAL Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition supports education leaders in using randomized evaluations to generate evidence on how and to what extent uses of technology and innovation work to improve student learning. The goal of the initiative is to identify scalable strategies to improve learning outcomes in the US, particularly for disadvantaged students. Letters of interest due April 13>>

IN THE NEWS


Federal Agency Debuts New Startup Day Event with ‘Shark Tank’ Pitches

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is strengthening its outreach to small and local tech communities by launching its “Startup Day” program, aimed at making the federal contracting process less daunting to budding businesses. The inaugural Startup Day at agency headquarters in Washington, DC, ended with pitch sessions, modeled after the “Shark Tank” television show, in which companies presented their ideas in front of HHS leaders who had the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. The agency intends to hold at least a dozen more of these events at other locations over the next two years. Aside from demystifying the federal procurement process, HHS hopes the events will help it tap into more entrepreneurial ideas.

A Prison System Offered All Inmates Addiction Treatment. Overdose Deaths Dropped Sharply

To help break the cycle of addiction that plagues many current and former inmates, in mid-2016, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections became the first state system to expand its medication-assisted treatment program to all inmates with opioid use disorder, through which it provides approved medications such as methadone. Recent research supports a finding that the number of overdose deaths among those recently released from the state's prisons and jails have been reduced due to the program. The program also helps inmates get insured and transition to treatment providers upon their release.

Los Angeles Chatbot Deputized to Help with Police Recruitment

The Los Angeles Police Department has developed and deployed a chatbot to handle the many basic inquiries that come in from potential police recruits. Police recruitment activities can be time-intensive for the Personnel Department's Public Safety Division, which often must field thousands of monthly calls from prospective applicants. “Officer Chip,” in use since last summer, currently fields over 1,000 likely questions, covering topics such as salary, drug testing, and boot camp. The chatbot is also able to improve its answers by reviewing questions it receives, as well as by informing officials about the types and frequency of information most often requested.

The Libraries Bringing Small-Town News Back to Life

Across the country, libraries are stepping in to fill the void left by declining local news coverage. In western South Dakota, 13 area libraries collaborate to help run a news site for a region that has lost several weekly newspapers. The town librarian in Weare, New Hampshire, circulates a weekly paper that publicizes town events and promotes student accomplishments. In Texas, San Antonio's library offers space to an independent video news site, and the Dallas Public Library is partnering with a local newspaper to train high school students in community journalism.

Colorado Emerges As National Model by Helping Rather than Pursuing Parents Who Miss Child Care Payments

Colorado is one of several states leading the way in changing the standard approach to child support collection. Rather than focusing solely on punitive measures for delinquent parents, such as freezing accounts and suspending driver’s licenses, the state has rebranded its Division of “Child Support Enforcement” to “Child Support Services” and has sought ways to help these parents find jobs, address alcohol and drug addiction, take parenting classes, and be more connected with their children. Other states have been studying the success of the federally funded five-year program, which has yielded an increase in child support payments from parents who received assistance.

Why One Philadelphia Elementary School Is Paying Kids Not to Fight

Mitchell Elementary School in Philadelphia is experimenting with financial incentives to encourage older students to refrain from fighting. Under the initiative, eighth-grade students will earn $100 each at graduation if their class does not resort to physical altercations during the school year. The school uses a bulletin board to publicize to the students the number of days they have gone without getting into fights, conducts peer-mediation sessions with younger students, and plans to open up a room for students to cool down and practice conflict-resolution techniques. Academic research suggests that financial incentives offered by educators can motivate children to do their homework, read books, and meet other behavior goals; violence appears to be down at the school since the initiative was unveiled.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Beyond Duck-and-Cover

A new type of emergency preparation has been implemented by New York City: data drills. Data drills often consist of city officials and data experts gathering at a table, starting from a hypothetical emergency situation and proposing a series of data-driven response steps in an effort to stress test the city’s data protocols.

How New York Is Protecting Affordable Apartments with Analytics

New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics works with city agencies in order to collect data and create risk scores to spot landlords refusing to accept housing vouchers and harassing tenants out of rent-regulated units. Using this analytics approach, the city has won a number of major victories for residents against offending landlords and management companies.

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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