 |
|
|
| Employment |
|
To help employees ensure that a day's work receives a day's wage, the US Department of Labor has unveiled an iPhone app for employees that allows them to independently track the hours they work and determine the wages they are owed. The app, available in English and Spanish, allows users to enter their regular hours, overtime hours, and break times for multiple employers, and view summaries of their hours and expected pay in various formats. The app also provides links to information such as wage laws and how to contact the department.
|
|
| Partnership |
|
In Oregon, the Lane County Parks Department is working with area nonprofits to place homeless persons in parks as “hosts.” With limited resources to patrol park sites, the Parks Department is hoping that the extra eyes and ears of vetted persons can help staunch the thousands of dollars spent each year contending with vandalism and other criminal activities. Persons who own RVs or campers but do not otherwise have a place to stay will live in the parks free of charge in exchange for providing some security and maintenance. The department hopes to have the pilot program in place by Thanksgiving.
|
|
| Entrepreneurship |
|
To foster innovation by future and current entrepreneurs, the US Department of Commerce is partnering with Cornell University to place a patent officer on the campus of Cornell’s technology graduate school, located in New York City. The "Innovation and Outreach Coordinator" may consult with students and area entrepreneurs one-on-one or offer workshops on such topics as how to write an effective patent application, what financial help might be available, what commercial strategy to pursue, and how to avoid red tape along the way.
|
|
| Corrections, Probation and Parole |
|
The state of Wyoming may soon join South Dakota and several other states in implementing the 24/7 Sobriety Program, which saves states money by keeping drunken drivers out of jail as long as they stay sober. Under the program, repeat offenders must submit to a twice-a-day breathalyzer test as they await trial. Participants who fail the test are immediately taken into custody. The program originated in South Dakota in 2005 and has saved that state millions of dollars by curtailing prison stays and other legal costs.
|
|
| Public Safety |
|
Spurred by an increasing number of pedestrian deaths, cities across Minnesota are experimenting with new ways to prevent accidents in crosswalks. Interventions include embedding blinking orange lights into the street, and deploying video technologies that detect pedestrians crossing the street and pedestrian signals that beep and have Braille symbols for pedestrians who are sight impaired. The state has also stepped up its public education efforts on busses, billboards, and even bar restrooms.
|
|
| Community Development |
|
New Orleans, Louisiana, has partnered with the nonprofit Code for America to launch an interactive web tool that allows the local government, activists, and neighborhood groups to combat blight. BlightStatus merges data across multiple city departments to track the case histories of individual properties, from licensing and permits to foreclosures and redevelopment. Interested parties can thus work together to improve the status of these properties instead of expending time and energy gathering this basic information.
|
|
| Financing Efficiency in the Delivery of Social Services |
|
With the economy continuing to pressure government to be more fiscally responsible, we need more than ever to maximize progress with every dollar government spends to deliver vital services. Traditional approaches reward activities, not results. Some innovative new approaches aim to turn that around through creative financing.
|
| The Opening Door to Government Transformation |
|
Government transformation demands results-driven leadership. Columnist John Bernard makes five recommendations to make government more efficient and effective.
|
| How 'Ideation' Can Power Innovation |
|
In the context of local-government innovation, "ideation" means directly examining a problem in a systematic way, amassing many possible solutions, and then probing and testing those ideas to see which are most likely to work. This column offers a guide for cities interested in using ideation to help them set better policy.
|
| Contracting for Value, Not Just Cost |
|
Government work usually goes to the lowest bidder, but that's not always the smartest way to spend taxpayers' money. Best-value contracting gives the public sector the ability to make procurement decisions that are in taxpayers' long-term interests, and it gives officials the data to defend those decisions.
Newsletter produced by: Jessica Engelman, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.
|
|
|
Back To Top
|
NOTE: The highlights in this newsletter link to source articles from other websites, and may not be available after a certain length of time.
Please feel free to forward this message to colleagues.
You are receiving this newsletter because of preferences you selected as a registered user of the Government Innovators Network®.
To unsubscribe, login to http://innovations.harvard.edu using your email address and password, then click "User profile" at the top right corner to change your preferences.
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.
|
