Delivery Units Around the World

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 21:01

Harvard’s Bob Behn writes about the spread of “PerformanceStat” across the U.S over the past two decades. But the creation of “Delivery Units,” which is another name for Bob’s phenomena, has spread across the world – even Latin America!

Big Data: It’s About Complexity, Not Size

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:59

Big data should not be defined as “big” based on the size of the data alone. As defined by an important Commission on Big Data, big data is “a phenomenon that is a result of the rapid acceleration and exponential growth in the expanding volume of high velocity, complex and diverse types of data.” Organizations that do not necessarily have a large volume of data can benefit from a better understanding of the art of the possible with the new generation of analytic tools designed for big data.

Weekly Roundup January 23, 2015

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:57

The Rise of Shadow IT. According to Government Computer News, “Nearly three-quarters of IT security professionals are unaware of the amount of “shadow IT” within their organizations, according to a recent survey by the Cloud Security Alliance. . . .

How Will Government Adapt?: Reinvigorating the Civil Service

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:53

Surveys of college seniors show that only 6 percent would consider entering public service as a career, with only 2.3 percent willing to consider Federal service. What plans and strategies will federal departments and agencies employ to attract Millennials and Gen-Xers to public service over the next decade? What skill sets will employees need? Are departments and agencies prepared for this challenge? What actions will be needed to overcome these obstacles, seize opportunities and reinvigorate the public service?

How Will Government Adapt?: The State of State Finances

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:51

This is the sixth blog post in a series that sums up highlights of selected sessions held as part of the annual meeting in mid-November of the National Academy of Pubic Administration. Presenters John R. Bartle, Dean, College of Public Affairs and Community Service, University of Nebraska-Omaha Merl M. Hackbart, Provost Distinguished Service Professor & Interim Director Martin School of Public Policy & Administration, University of Kentucky Marilyn M.

Weekly Roundup January 30, 2015

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:49

Show Me the Evidence. An Obama Administration initiative to fund social programs relies on one critical factor. Agencies had to use a data-driven and evidence-based approaches for planning and spending. Ron Haskins, senior fellow for economic studies at the Brookings Institution and author of "Show Me the Evidence," explains in an interview on “In Depth with Francis Rose” how the evidence-based funding approach works. Using the Evidence.

Is Foresight an Ethical Imperative?

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:45

Greenleaf’s statement is pretty strong. And most people would think that he refers to political leaders. But his observation is pointed at leaders at all levels. Efforts to create a strategic foresight capacity in the U.S. federal government have experienced fits and starts over the past 40 years. But in recent years, there has been some progress at the agency level, largely at the behest of political and career leaders who appreciate the value of foresight as part of their decision making processes. They might not think of it in terms of an ethical issue, but as good leadership.

New Report from the IBM Center: A Framework to Improve Management of Cyberspace

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:42

This report is the product of a group of experts, which was convened by the Department of Computer Science at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). IUP brought together an interdisciplinary panel of experts in national security, international relations, foreign policy, information system network and security, public policy, and computer science. These experts participated in two collaborative roundtable meetings during the first six months of 2014. The report presents results from the roundtable discussions, as well as other research conducted by the author.

How Will Government Adapt?: Positioning the IRS for the Next Decade

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:39

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen shared his insights on his experiences to date in the closing session of the annual meeting of the National Academy of Public Administration in mid-November. Koskinen was confirmed as IRS Commissioner in December 2013. The position had been vacant for over a year, and during that interim, allegations of improprieties led to the dismissal of an interim commissioner along with other staff.

Payment Reform in the Healthcare Industry

Submitted by on Mon, 01/22/2018 - 20:36

Among the topics that I discussed in introducing this blog series was healthcare payment reform. Interestingly, HHS announced last week (Jan 26:) that they are moving their payment model from traditional “fee for service,” seeking to achieve a target level of 30% alternative payment model quality initiatives by 2016 and 50% by 2018. This move has great promise -- however, the change needed to accomplish reduced cost and improved care/outcomes is significant.

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