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| Arts & Recreation |
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The California Department of Parks and Recreation is teaming with high-technology companies to technologically transform the visitor experience. For example, Google workers have attached 360-degree cameras to their backpacks and are hiking park trails to give Internet users the ability to virtually explore more than a dozen state parks. Elsewhere, state parks are helping to design smartphone apps that enable visitors to pay for parking. Efforts are also underway to develop software that brings together all outdoor activities on offer from local, state, and federal parks in one portal.
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| Corrections |
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Some San Francisco jail inmates will receive computer tablets to do homework, read novels, and prepare for their criminal cases. The tablets are being distributed to more than 100 inmates as part of a two-year, $275,000 pilot program. The tablets will only allow the inmates to access four secure websites, including a law library. Inmates will also have access to a calculator, an education application, and an education curriculum developed by the jail. Organizers and prisoners hope the tablets will help users bridge the digital divide while they are incarcerated and give them a head start upon their release.
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| Public Transit |
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To combat the severe traffic problems in Hawaii’s capital city, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is laying out a 20-mile rail line that will become the first transit system in the US to fully automate the transportation of its passengers. A centrally-located computer system will control stops, departures, and speed, and open and close doors. Officials believe that automated operation will be cheaper, safer, and more reliable. The first trips are planned for 2017.
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| Policing & Crime Prevention |
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Residents buying or selling goods through Craigslist or other websites in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, can now take advantage of the town’s police department facilities as a safe place for inspection and exchange. The police department will offer its lobby and a well-lit, video-monitored parking lot as safe zones for exchanging items and cash. A similar program was started by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida this past May.
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| Social Services |
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Recognizing that keeping neglected children with their families is often the best option, Nebraska officials have launched a pilot program in several counties to support such efforts as long as there aren't serious risks to the child's safety. The program gives low-risk parents a chance to avoid law enforcement and the courts while acknowledging the role that poverty often plays in such cases. The alternative response program will connect families in need with services that provide food, transportation, and shelter. The pilot program could eventually spread statewide.
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| Poverty Alleviation |
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Boston is embarking on a plan to address poverty and income inequality that includes a new financial literacy center for residents. The city's new Office of Financial Empowerment will help residents with job searches, training for career development, and financial coaching. The expanded and integrated services are meant to promote long-term financial stability. The effort is funded in part by the United Way and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
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| Getting Real about Pension Investments |
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There's a better way to forecast investment returns for public retirement systems, but adopting it would put some pensions even further into the hole. Unrealistic assumptions about pension-fund investment performance take a heavy toll over time. A new study quantifies just what that toll is in six states; in five of them, it isn't pretty. More»
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| Weaving Innovation into the Fabric of Bureaucracy |
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Dedicated innovation offices are popping up at every level of government. A new report examines dozens of innovation-office initiatives and distills patterns and best practices that can help government executives decide if this is just hype or if it could be a worthwhile approach for their organizations. More»
Newsletter produced by: Jessica Engelman, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.
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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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