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Chicago Hiked the Cost of Vehicle City Sticker Violations to Boost Revenue. But It's Driven More Low-Income, Black Motorists Into Debt.

Melissa Sanchez Elliott Ramos

July 26, 2018 |

ProPublica |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

When Chicago raised the fee for not having a vehicle sticker, the move seemed like a way to raise revenue without punishing compliant drivers. But now, thanks in part to racial disparities in policing, thousands of mostly black people are going bankrupt due to ticket debt.

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L.A. Offers a Tax Break for Urban Farming—But No One's Taking It

Ludwig Hurtado

July 24, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

In 2014, the California legislature passed legislation to create the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones (UAIZ), offering tax breaks to landowners to turn their vacant lots into community farms. However, the legislation has failed to create any kind of community impact: only 4 lots have received the tax break in the 4 years that the program has existed. Landowners have been disincentivized by five-year lending terms and insufficient implementation.

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How to design your department like a behavioural scientist

Jennifer Guay

July 10, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia

Organizational design makes a big difference for public servants. Let workers personalize their desks and sit near teammates. Let them speak in reverse-hierarchical order during meetings, contribute ideas anonymously, and openly discuss the possibility of failure. Even small changes like these can dramatically improve productivity and happiness.

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Chasing the curve: As budgets churn, can Montana get its mentally ill care before they hit crisis?

Eric Dietrich Katheryn Houghton

July 08, 2018 |

Bozeman Daily Chronicle |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Livingston, Montana

This threatened mental health care in a tangible way, but the state has found ways to provide services differently. Despite limited funding, state health officials still choose to direct funds toward prevention, rather than only paying for emergency services. Using outpatient support groups and an integrated behavioral health system are other options. Still, the state is figuring out how to provide higher quality care on a lower budget.

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Leeds is fighting loneliness with an app and a map

Anoush Darabi

July 04, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Leeds

With a single tap, public health workers in Leeds can use a mobile app to record signs of loneliness in the city. Their observations generate a heat map of social isolation, which then guides community outreach efforts and increases efficiency.

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None of the Above

Nadine Ekdawi Tadros Hebah Fisher Dana Ballout

June 30, 2018 |

Kerning Cultures |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Because Middle Easterners are classified as “white” in the U.S. Census, their specific needs and identities are not disaggregated. This lack of visibility may prevent discriminatory treatment, but it also impacts the allocation of government resources and leaves many feeling unrepresented in their country. The Arab American Institute is again pushing for change ahead of the 2020 survey, an effort that has now spanned decades.

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Governments Explore Using Blockchains to Improve Service

Adrianne Jeffries

June 27, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Arab Emirates, Dubai

Governments around the world are exploring whether blockchain technologies can improve public administration. In theory, blockchain could improve accountability and trust in government. In practice, pilot projects are hitting roadblocks and may take more time to implement and scale than some might hope.

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Good design is good policy

Sara Hudson

June 26, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

As the treasurer of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones is making transformative change to connect more people to banks and savings accounts. Modeling initiatives after other successful municipal government programs across the country, Jones helped start the College Kids Children’s Savings Accounts, which creates a college savings account for all children entering public kindergarten. This is one of many steps to help St. Louis residents take better advantage of financial services.

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Philadelphia Works to Digitize Paper-Based Processes

Zack Quaintance

June 19, 2018 |

Government Technology |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, City Hall is aiming to solve problems by making outdated processes more efficient. After digitizing the Request for Proposal process, a pilot program found an 89% decrease in processing time. The City is also working with a local tech start-up to digitize the position requisition process and has introduced DocuSign to make the authorized signer process easier.

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Why Are Millions Paying Online Tax Preparation Fees When They Don't Need To?

Tik Root

June 18, 2018 |

ProPublica |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Thanks to an agreement between the U.S. government and a consortium of companies including Intuit and H&R Block, 70 percent of taxpayers are supposed to have access to free online tax preparation services. But Free File is confusing and poorly publicized. Only about 3 percent of eligible tax returns over the last 16 years used the system.

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