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How Denmark lost its MindLab: the inside story

Jennifer Guay

June 05, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Denmark

Denmark’s MindLab pushed experimentation and innovation in government for more than 16 years, inspiring imitators around the world. Now shut down, the innovation lab fell victim to a swift shift in political priorities, say former directors. Digital transformation of the civil service is now the focus.

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It's time to step away from the shiny object

Sara Hudson

June 04, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Anchorage, Alaska

By focusing on redefining a problem and finding a human-centered solution, government agencies can make more sustainable change than by merely using a temporary technology fix. In Anchorage, civil servants used behavioral design to redesign a debt collection letter. Though not so glamorous, this solution saved the government money, increased the rate of people who pay debts on time, and pushed the government to reassess their processes to better serve residents.

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A Blueprint for Human-Centered Change

Zack Quaintance

June 01, 2018 |

Government Technology |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In Michigan, private design firm Civilla successfully pitched a human-centered redesign of the state's unwieldy and redundant public benefits form. By highlighting and emphasizing the experience that applicants had with the old firm, Civilla convinced the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to make a change, and the new form is now 22% more likely to be completed.

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Environmental impact bonds can help cities invest in green infrastructure

Laurie Mazur

May 25, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Environmental impact bonds (EIBs) are a relatively new form of financing that combine private investment with government funding in a “pay for success” model. They are different than municipal bonds in that they are intended as a more experimental approach: for instance, Washington, D.C. started using EIBs to test green infrastructure and evaluate the results. Though all current EIBs are too early-stage to show formal evaluations, they are helping promote sustainability initiatives in D.C., Baltimore, and Atlanta.

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London's Big Push for Better Design

Feargus O'Sullivan

May 23, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

Public Practice is the name of a new London social enterprise that is placing top urban planners in local government authorities. The program aims to incorporate skilled urban planners in essential city tasks: building affordable housing, developing better infrastructure, and improving city spaces. Though only in its first year, the program hopes to continue to help “London build more inclusive spaces.”

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Games in government: How to get public servants excited about work

Jennifer Guay

May 15, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

Games can help government employees feel more engaged in their work. The United Kingdom’s Department of Work and Pensions uses a game called Idea Street to encourage innovation, and the City of Louisville, Kentucky, awards digital badges for creativity and collaborations. Sustaining staff interest in games can be a challenge. It helps to have clear rules and to align games with the top motivations of employees.

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Cities are crowdfunding more. But is it fair to ask the people to pay?

Anoush Darabi

May 08, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Brighton and Hove

Governments in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere use crowdfunded donations to restore historic areas and fund new developments. The approach can build democratic participation and community cohesion while plugging budgetary holes from falling tax revenue.

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Citizenship for sale: the countries whose biggest export is passports

Jennifer Guay

April 25, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Saint Kitts and Nevis

An increasingly popular way to attract foreign direct investment is to let the world’s wealthiest trade cash and property investments for citizenship. The $2 billion-a-year industry allows the ultra-rich to buy passports that permit visa-free travel to nearly the entire world, often with no residency requirements. Highly controversial, the industry is marked by a lack of transparency and concerns about what happens to civic ties when citizenship can be bought and sold.

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App used in city of Canton puts power in the hands of citizens for reporting and tracking problems

Jonathan Walsh

April 09, 2018 |

WEWS-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Canton, Ohio

The mayor’s office in Canton, Ohio recently implemented SeeClickFix, an app that allows local residents to share pictures of problems they see, such as potholes and abandoned cars. The complaints get added to a list for City Hall to address. This app is empowering residents to play a role in improving their own neighborhood, and the app has been a cost-effective way to create change in cities across Ohio and even around the globe.

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Jeffco emergency responders prepare for future county crises by combining forces to improve response times

Peyton Garcia

March 23, 2018 |

The Denver Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

To speed up responses and save money, eight of Colorado's Jefferson County emergency response agencies have consolidated. The new communications system and location for all county dispatchers is known as Jeffcom 911 and is prepared to serve more than 600,000 residents.

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