Democracy urgently needs repair. Constructive participation in political systems has been eroding and intense political conflict growing. Civil dialogue across political divides and confidence in the legitimacy of political institutions has declined. Societal groups remain quite unequal in their ability to shape government policy, and the dominance of organized monied interests results in policies that fail to address the needs of average citizens....
Local election officials are where the rubber meets the road in our electoral process. But there are so few resources focused on helping officials keep pace with technology and improve communication with voters.
The Election Toolkit from the Center for Technology and Civic Life is an online library of tech resources, including tools like a Twitter guide, a free app to measure voter wait times, tools for publishing real-time election results, and a collection of civic icons. All of the tools in the Toolkit...
In November 2003, when Joe Curtatone was first elected mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts, he wanted to be sure that his city produced results. So he immediately made a site visit to Baltimore to learn how CitiStat worked.
When he returned, he told his new SomerStat director, let’s have our first meeting by the end of the month. SomerStat was off and running—and after more than 11 years in office the positive results of this data-driven approach to good government abound.
Somerville has been labeled “the best run city in Massachusetts.” Still, Mayor Curtatone, knows he...
Like all public executives, you have to produce results. You might be a city public-works director, a state public-health commissioner, or a regional EPA administrator. It doesn’t make any difference. You are expected to produce results.
The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, Freedman Consulting, the American Public Human Services Association, and the National Governors Association are excited to present a webinar on facilitating technology innovation in public human services. As the challenges facing public human services agencies continue to grow, the potential exists for technology to serve as a powerful to tool to support well-being among the most vulnerable children and families. This webinar will illustrate the opportunities and rewards for human service agencies leveraging technology innovation, as well as highlight relevant strategies to assist would-be innovators seeking to take advantage of the opportunities provided by technology.
Presenters in this webinar will discuss the number of ways human services agencies stand to benefit by successfully leveraging technology innovation. Following information from each of the presenters there will be the opportunity for webinar attendees to pose questions to the presenters.... Read more about Facilitating Technology Innovation in Human Services
First introduced two decades ago, automated victim notification (AVN) systems have been touted as an effective way to notify crime victims – at a reduced burden to the criminal justice system – with timely information about court events and status changes (such as release or transfer) regarding their offender. Recently, the National Institute of Justice released the first-ever nationwide evaluation of the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) program.... Read more about Automated Victim Notification
Engage in a live dialogue with a senior advisor to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Stephen Woodley, who is an expert on strategies for reaching ambitious habitat and biodiversity conservation goals. Stephen will be joined by Crista Valentino and Elaine Hsiao, who are helping to lead efforts to engage a new generation in the global biodiversity conservation movement. Stephen, Elaine, and Crista will be talking about plans for the upcoming IUCN World Parks Congress, to be held in Sydney, Australia, in November 2014.
About the Webinar With every passing year, new innovations in conservation finance and the legal defense of conservation easements spring to life. On March 1, 2013, The Land Trust Alliance (LTA) celebrated a historic pivot point marked by the opening of the Terrafirma Risk Retention Group LLC. Terrafirma includes among its insured some 420 land trusts in 46 states and the District of Columbia that are now working together to defend conservation of 20,568 properties covering 6,354,434 acres. As described by the LTA, Terrafirma is a charitable risk pool owned by participating land trusts that insures its members against the legal costs of defending conservation. Leslie Ratley-Beach, who has represented Terrafirma at a number of recent forums, will join us to describe the basic functions and operational strategies of this new and important entity.
Similarly, in June of 2013, we will celebrate the emergence of a new online presence for conservation finance at www.conservationfinancenetwork.org. Leigh Whelpton of Island Press will join us to discuss the relaunch of the Conservation Finance Network website, as well as her role in promoting conservation finance innovation in North America and around the globe.
The Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School, the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Case Commons Inc. are excited to present a webinar on the role of change management in facilitating technology innovation in public human services. As demands on public human services continue to increase, technology is playing an increasingly vital role. Technological changes are also organizational changes, and effective change management is essential to ensuring that technology improvements are implemented successfully.
This webinar will offer as a case study Indiana’s adoption of Management Gateway for Indiana’s Kids (MAGIK), powered by Casebook(R), as its child welfare system of record. Incubated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casebook is a 21st-century child welfare information system developed by the nonprofit Case Commons.
Steve Goldsmith, Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government and the Director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard Kennedy School, former Mayor of Indianapolis, and former Deputy Mayor of New York City for Operations, will moderate a discussion among:
Patrick McCarthy, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Tracy Wareing, Executive Director of the American Public Human Services Association
Kathleen Feely, Founder and CEO of Case Commons, Inc. and Vice President for Innovation at the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Judge Jim Payne, former Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services
Presenters in this webinar will discuss the importance of modern information technology to the effective and innovative delivery of public-sector human services; as well as the vital link between robust change management strategies and success in human services information technology projects.
Following information from each of the presenters there will be the opportunity for webinar attendees to pose questions to the presenters.
This event is powered by the Ash Center’s Government Innovators Network.
Like all public executives, you have to produce results. You might be a city public-works director, a state public-health commissioner, or a regional EPA administrator. It doesn’t make any difference. You are expected to produce results.