A Renewed IBM Center Research Agenda – Seeking Ideas to Improve Government

The IBM Center for The Business of Government connects research to practice, supporting work by scholars that benefits government through analysis of real-world experience and practical, actionable recommendations. Center reports are intended to spark the imagination—crafting new ways to think about government service delivery and operations by identifying trends, new ideas, and best practices in public management and innovation efforts. Center reports help government executives respond more effectively to mission and management priorities. Center awards have gone to almost 1,000 leading researchers in public management, who have produced reports on improving the effectiveness of government. The Center’s work assists public sector executives, managers, staff, and stakeholders in addressing real-world problems and improving government performance and effectiveness.

With this research announcement, the Center is pleased to solicit proposals that result in reports with practical, actionable recommendations for government leaders and public managers across the following five research areas:

• Advancing Multi-Sector Partnerships to Improve Outcomes and Productivity
• Improving Financial and Operational Effectiveness
• Leveraging Technology to Improve Service and Efficiency
• Using Data to Drive Priority-Setting, Decision-Making, and Performance
• Strengthening the Government Workforce

Study proposals should identify strategies for engaging agencies and other stakeholders, as well as examples and illustrations of current models that can be adapted, so that government can implement recommendations effectively.

The IBM Center shaped this new agenda by collaborating with government, academic, and nonprofit leaders to identify key areas of need for expert perspectives on how the public sector can transform. Importantly, the Center seeks studies that address both individual trends influencing government, and research that integrates topics to build strategic frameworks that can guide government efforts more broadly across the above trends—discussed further in the research announcement.

Through research in and across these five topics, the Center will continue to communicate what leading experts know about effective practices and lessons learned for government leaders and stakeholders. Such communications can promote public understanding of the benefits that a well-functioning government delivers, which can help to drive trust in government.