ProGov21 Policy Library

Online and Observed: Student Privacy Implications of School-Issued Devices and Student Activity Monitoring Software

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level School District

State(s) All States

Source Center for Democracy & Technology

Policy Areas Education, Data & Technology

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many school districts have introduced student activity monitoring software and other digital tools aimed at facilitating remote classroom management and driving student engagement. Though helpful, these tools can also be intrusive. This report examines...

The Right to Know: How to Fulfill the Public’s Right of Access to Police Records

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) California

Source American Civil Liberties Union of California

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Democracy depends on the public’s right to know what its government is doing so it can hold officials accountable. California voters recognized the fundamental importance of public access to documents by enshrining the right of access in the state constitution. But the right of access...

Money lost to the Cloud: How Data Centers Benefit from State and Local Government Subsidies

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Data & Technology

Tech companies have been rapidly expanding their networks of facilities that store and retrieve digital information through the creation of new data centers. State and local governments routinely subsidize these projects, providing traditional subsidies, such as local property tax...

Blocked: Why Some Companies Restrict Data Access to Reduce Competition and How Open APIs Can help

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Center for Data Innovation

Policy Areas Data & Technology

Businesses in the real estate, financial services, and air travel industries have taken steps to limit third-party access to their data in ways that restrict competition, reduce market transparency, and harm consumers. In order to prevent this behavior, this report recommends that...

Closing the Books: How Government Contractors Hide Public Records

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level State

State(s) All States

Source In the Public Interest

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement

This report provides case studies that illustrate how private contractors hide three key types of information: the fees they charge the public, how they spend public funds, and details on the quality of public services. Decision-makers should adopt strong sunshine laws that require...

Setting the Agenda: A Mayor’s Guide to Water Affordability

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development

It is becoming more difficult for families to access clean and affordable water due to aging water infrastructure systems, climate change, and the rising cost of living. This report outlines best practices and innovative solutions mayors can adopt to ensure that residents have equitable...

Digital Democracy and Transparency

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Data & Technology

Transparency and public data can help improve the effectiveness of government agencies and elected officials. However, current transparency requirements focus on physical publication and inspection, which favor and protect incumbent power. Local governments often do not have rigorous...

2000 Santa Cruz California Zoning Provisions

Type Ordinance

Year 2000

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Santa Cruz City Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Community Development, Public Spaces

An ordinance requiring new retail stores over 16,000 square feet to obtain a special permit, with approval hinging on whether they add to a balanced and diverse mix of downtown businesses. Specifically, a new store must demonstrate that it 1) adds a desired type of business, 2) contributes...

Democratic Digital Infrastructure

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, State, National

State(s) All States

Source The Democracy Collaborative

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Democracy & Governance, Data & Technology

The global spread of Covid-19 has highlighted the vital need for reliable high-speed internet and the inadequacies of the for-profit, corporate model in delivering it. This report proposes new approaches to ownership and control that will accelerate and democratize digital infrastructure...

2013 Chicago Ordinance 9148: Corporate Real Estate Disclosures

Type Ordinance

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) Illinois

Source Chicago City Council

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement

This ordinance outlines the disclosure requirements necessary when a corporation applies for city council approval with respect to the sale/purchase of real estate, property tax reclassification, zoning, financial assistance from The City of Chicago, or entering into a contract with...

Behavioural Insights for Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Energy, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Education, Democracy & Governance

By 2050, two out of every three people on the planet will live in a city. Urbanization and new ideas go hand in hand; by their very nature, cities have long served to create pockets of innovation, changing and improving the way we live our lives in the process. Historically this process...

Saint Paul MN Limited English Proficiency Plan

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) Minnesota

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Community Development, Public Spaces, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Housing, Public Safety, Democracy & Governance, Transportation & Mobility

One in five City of Saint Paul (City) residents speaks a language other than English in their homes. This means that increasingly City employees are providing services to individuals who may be limited English proficient (LEP) as a result of national origin. Based on data collected...

2012 Wayne County Ordinance 209: Public Employee Standards of Conduct and Conflicts of Interest

Type Ordinance

Year 2012

Level City or Town

State(s) Michigan

Source The People of the Charter County of Wayne

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Finance & Procurement

This ordinance prescribes standards of conduct for public servants in matters that relate to county affairs. In particular, it requires that public servants abstain from participating in County decisions that they have a financial interest in; refuse employment when it is incompatible...

Surfacing the Submerged State with Operational Transparency in Government Services

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Housing, Public Safety, Democracy & Governance

As Americans' trust in government nears historic lows, frustration with government performance approaches record highs. One explanation for this trend is that citizens may be unaware of both the services provided by government and the impact of those services on their lives. In an...

1994 Fort Collins Ordinance 111

Type Ordinance

Year 1994

Level City or Town

State(s) Colorado

Source Fort Collins City Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development, Public Spaces, Democracy & Governance, Transportation & Mobility

An ordinance adopting a six-month moratorium on development of stores larger than 80,000 square feet. The city used the time to review the design, transportation, and other planning issues posed by big box retailers, and to make changes to its planning and zoning rules....

2013 San Francisco Ordinance 121017

Type Ordinance

Year 2013

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source San Francisco Board Of Supervisors

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

This ordinance amends a prior open data policy that empowered San Francisco's Committee on Information Technology to establish rules and standards applicable to all city departments regarding the release of data to the city's online data portal. This ordinance establishes the positions...

Turnaround: Fixing New York City’s Buses

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level City or Town

State(s) New York

Source Transit Center

Policy Areas Transportation & Mobility

Bus ridership in New York City is rapidly declining. In order to attract riders, buses must become faster, more reliable, and more attractive as a transit option. This report lays out best practices to improve New York’s ailing bus system. Strategies focus on redesigning the bus network...

Making Smart Decisions About Smart Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source American Civil Liberties Union of California

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement, Data & Technology

“Smart city” products are often touted as cost-efficient solutions to providing government services and addressing societal challenges, but in reality these technologies are no more intelligent than the data and algorithms behind them. Like other tools, their effectiveness depends...

Breakthrough Cities: How Cities can Mobilise Creativity and Knowledge to Tackle Compelling Social Challenges

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Energy, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Education, Democracy & Governance

Europe's cities need entrepreneurship and innovation to secure their long-term economic, cultural and social prosperity. This report proposes a set of tools cities can use to stimulate the creativity and social innovation they need by drawing on external innovators and advisers....

Why You Should Be Wary of Privatization

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source In the Public Interest

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement

While privatization occurs under different names, such as outsourcing, contracting out, and public-private partnership, it always removes a public good from public control and places it under the control of a private entity. The specifics of these deals vary, but the consequences...

2010 Fayetteville Ordinance 5347

Type Ordinance

Year 2010

Level City or Town

State(s) Arkansas

Source Chicago City Council

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement, Housing, Public Safety, Democracy & Governance

This ordinance: establishes municipal licensure program for private businesses and nonprofit organizations; creates license fee to administer program; and requires annual applications for license....

Show Us the Local Subsidies

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

This report explores disclosure practices for certain types of subsidies per locality and provides a grade for those programs based on the quality of company-specific disclosures. The report finds that two-thirds of the economic development subsidy programs run by the nation's largest...

Social and Behavioral Sciences Team 2016 Annual Report

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Housing, Public Safety, Health, Finance & Procurement, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Energy, Education

The Social and Behavioral Sciences Team 2016 Annual Report highlights SBST's progress implementing the President's directive over the past year in eight key policy areas: promoting retirement security, advancing economic opportunity, improving college access and affordability, responding...

Tracking Body Camera Implementation

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2015

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Campaign Zero

Policy Areas Public Safety, Data & Technology

Body cameras are rapidly becoming the norm in communities across the country. Campaign Zero reviewed available police department body camera policies from the largest 30 cities in America to determine whether this new technology is being implemented in ways that ensure accountability...

Ask the Right Questions Before Privatizing

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2019

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source In the Public Interest

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement

Too often, public officials propose the privatization of public facilities, public goods, or contracting out vital public services, without getting the basic information that decision-makers and voters need to know to evaluate these transactions. By asking a handful of simple questions...

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