Good Governance, Better Service, Greater Participation
Only 28% of Americans “are satisfied with the way government is working in the country.” Dissatisfaction has grown over the past 30 years — a result of polarization and a perception (and in many cases, a reality) that the government cannot or will not solve problems. Dissatisfaction has grown as government struggles to keep up with changes in technology. In fact, public trust in state and local government agencies is directly tied to perceptions of agencies’ online and digital services.
In response to historically low levels of trust in government and building on experience modernizing election administration, the Institute for Responsive Government launched a new pillar of work: Government that Delivers.
In close collaboration with nonprofit, academic, business, and government partners, the Institute for Responsive Government uses policy development, improvements to state and local capacity, and targeted technical assistance to transform slow, opaque government processes into more efficient, customer-centric operations. Government that Delivers’ work is centered around three core tenets of government responsiveness:
- Government Service Delivery
- Government’s Ability to “Get Stuff Done”, and;
- Government Transparency, Accountability, and Continuous Feedback Loops.
To start, these efforts focus in four specific policy areas:
Reconstructing the Government
Upgrading hiring processes, internal capacity, and strengthened government processes generally to make public administration work better while easing the path for policymakers and advocates to make changes that will improve the lives of the public.
Cutting Red Tape: Permitting Process Reform
Delivering tangible improvements for small businesses and home owners who too often feel trapped by burdensome processes. Changes here can unlock entrepreneurship and neighborhood revitalization.
Modern Income Verification
By shifting employer reporting from a quarterly schedule to a per-pay-period cadence (i.e. twice per month) and adding a field for hours worked, states could get the data needed to keep people on the rolls, securely sharing it across agencies.
21st Century DMV
No other government agency serves as a punchline as often as the DMV. Modern technology can cut wait times, improve service delivery, and provide a visceral understanding of what good government means.
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