Below is an excerpt from our Citizen Engagement guide — it’s a great interview with David Fletcher, Utah’s CIO, about some of the state’s new initiatives. Want more on citizen engagement? Then make sure to sign up for Carahsoft’s Fourth Annual Citizen Engagement Seminar on June 19th! At the event, your government peers will shareRead… Read more »
I have always been interested in happiness. Even before Pharrell Williams made it fashionable to sing about and dance to, I was interested in what made people happy. When I was given the opportunity to do some research for a Masters degree in Public Leadership (Virginia State Univ 2013) citizen satisfaction with local government becameRead… Read more »
During my time in state government, I was a part of many discussions about portals. When I worked on a portal for a small businesses in 1998, a portal was really seen as an indication of your tech grooviness and functionally. It looked a lot like an electronic brochure or phonebook. The goal? Making sureRead… Read more »
Do you believe that the involvement of citizens in the management of the government makes government better? Are you willing to do things differently to reach a different segment of the population? One of the leaders I respect the most has often been heard to say that public servants are at their best when theyRead… Read more »
Lowering local crime rates is the goal of every law enforcement agency, but it’s not an easy goal to achieve. Local police departments create crime tip phone lines; however, calling isn’t always the best option to report crimes. And in this more digital world, many citizens prefer to use channels they’re already using. For thisRead… Read more »
For the elderly and people with disabilities, snowstorms can mean being trapped at home unable to get to work, to the food store, to the pharmacy, or have the mail delivered. It can mean that for days, you’re stuck alone in your home fearful of what might happen and that the stability of your healthRead… Read more »
The Clinton Administration promoted customer service. The Bush Administration expressed sympathy for taxpayers. The Obama Administration has advocated citizen engagement. So, who are we? Customers? Taxpayers? Citizens? Or something else? And how should government managers respond, given the differences implied by these various roles? A recent academic article by Georgia State University professor John ClaytonRead… Read more »
Government agencies are ditching their old habits and implementing new service desk software in hopes of more cost effective solutions to consolidate and optimize their help desk. The Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) based in Ohio, “The Buckeye State” was established to maintain applications for roughly 2,000 employees and provide customer support for over 10,000Read… Read more »
Contrary to popular belief, teenagers are not the only ones posting pictures and content on social media platforms. Federal, state, and local government agencies have been implementing commercially provided media technologies to promote their services and support their missions. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted several distinct methods that 23 of 24 major agenciesRead… Read more »
The notion of e-governance has become prominent in recent years. Agencies around the world are now implementing technology into how they function and deliver services to citizens. Their objective: to distribute information more effectively, universally, and clearly to people. While the Internet undoubtedly fostered the evolution of e-governance, a new development has emerged that canRead… Read more »