Local government managers are described as key participants in the development of interlocal cooperation, but the interests of city councils in this process have gone largely unstudied. Here, the author addresses the theoretical importance of council-manager relations in interlocal public service cooperation. The evidence refines assumptions about council-manager roles in the formation of cooperative agreements, […]
This systematic review provides a synthesis of the growing field of public health systems research related to the structure and organization of state and local governmental public health agencies. It includes an overview of research examining the influence of organizational characteristics on public health performance and health status and a summary of the strengths and […]
This report, from the Task Force for Improving Public Health in Portage County (Ohio), presents the culmination of the first phase of an initiative to strengthen the public health system in Portage County. Slenkovich, K., Boulter, J., & Budnik, A. (2012). Improving Public Health in Portage County. Kent, OH: Kent State University, College of Public […]
This website is dedicated to connecting research to practice by helping public sector executives and managers improve the effectiveness of government with practical ideas and original thinking. Available online: http://www.businessofgovernment.org/
This article examines the relationship between organizational structure and authority of local public health directors based on data collected from Minnesota local health directors. It illustrates that emerging practice-based research networks can successfully collaborate on small-scale research projects with immediate application for systems development. Study findings are reportedly being used by local public health officials […]
This article from the 1970’s identifies the longstanding efforts to reform through reorganization of public health departments and public hospitals without addressing the underlying problems of an eroded tax base, an indifferent federal policy, and intra-professional disputes. Available online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/327345
This document provides an overview of the Cost of Government Governing Summit hosted by Governing in September 2012. It is a guide for public officials as they focus on managing costs rather than simply managing their budgets, which requires transforming both operations and decision making through greater transparency, use of performance data, and communication about […]
This report provides shared service delivery examples and presents recommendations from experienced county officials from a view of county government as a strategic hub for shared services by answering: what are shared service projects; why counties are considering shared service delivery; and what shared service are not. The report identifies the preconditions necessary for successful […]
This presentation, made during the annual meeting of the National Network of Public Health Institutes on May 23, 2012, in New Orleans provides an overview of organizational shared capacity in public health, identifies gaps in elected officials’ understanding of public health issues, discusses cross-jurisdictional sharing (CJS) of public health services efficiencies and capacities, and identifies […]
Budget stress in the wake of the recent recession has been an incentive for many U.S. local officials to explore new cooperative relationships with neighboring jurisdictions. County governments are in a strategic position to develop shared service projects and interlocal agreements for service delivery. This web-based article provides an overview of and introduction to shared […]