Innovation

This report focuses on the intersection of child support with child welfare and the TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) Programs.

This report is an example of how Web 2.0's "teen toys" have become a serious work tool. It explores how cutting-edge government organizations are using 3-dimensional virtual worlds on the Internet to conduct training, recruit new employees, and educate the public. It also provides a guide to how virtual worlds have become a fast-growing social phenomenon that believe that, by the end of 2011, fully 80 percent of all active internet users will be participating in 3-D virtual worlds.

This report evaluates the use of biometrics in governmental organizations as well as the private sector. It makes recommendations on how biometrics can be implemented effectively. A key lesson is that organizations need to develop a clear business case that explains the need for biometrics. Technology and E-Government

Public services are traditionally delivered through a number of government agencies via programs that are not connected to each other. In the midst of this decentralized fragmentation, two trends - a citizen-centric philosophy and network model of service delivery - are driving demands to integrate the delivery of citizen-oriented services across levels of government. The rapid increase in technology allows this new collaborative approach to service design and delivery to be a successful substitute for the old hierarchical approach.

Government, like the private sector, is now beginning to tap into and deploy the resources of organizations and individuals in other sectors to develop and create innovations, such as new ways to deliver public services.

This paper outlines the challenges facing the U.S. health care system, how prevention can help address these challenges, examples of wellness and prevention programs, suggestions for program components and design, and proposed standards for the federal government to adopt to promote quality and effective programs. The Living Well plan brings together the best preventive care knowledge from the public and private sectors and offers the first real opportunity to transform the health of Americans, improve the quality of health care, and slow the growth of health care costs.

Professor Long’s report considers the potential for public-private partnerships as a response to federal property management issues. This report focuses on the major property-related issues and the author assesses how public-private partnerships (PPP) might be used to resolve problems such as excess and underutilized property, deteriorating facilities, and reliance on costly leasing. All these issues pose significant challenges to federal property management. The use of PPPs has the potential to effectively respond to these challenges.

According to Professor Thompson, there is widespread agreement among those who have examined compensation practices in the federal government that the approach embodied by the traditional General Schedule is obsolete. A common complaint is that the system is too rigid and that the 15-grade structure induces excessive attention to minor distinctions in duties and responsibilities. Another concern is that pay increases are granted largely on the basis of longevity rather than performance.

In less than a decade, the number of taxpayers filing their tax returns electronically has gone from 20 percent in 1998 to 57 percent in 2006. In evaluating the IRS e-file program, Dr. Holden uses an "innovation adoption model" to describe what the IRS did to increase taxpayers’ use of the e-file system. Holden provides new and valuable insights into key factors involved in the successful adoption of e-services. He identifies the critical challenges and key steps that agencies can take in assessing their approach to adopting innovative ways of delivering services.