What, Not All Government Is Evil?

The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University has way too long of a name. They also have a list of the top 50 spiffy “government innovations” of 2009.

Two are from Tennessee!

Creating Homes Initiative
State of Tennessee
Tennessee’s Creating Homes Initiative combines state leadership, regional housing development/funding experts, and local partnerships to develop affordable, supportive homes for people with mental illness. Since 2000, $250,000,000 has been leveraged, resulting in the development of 7,200 housing units.

Higher Education Initiative
City of Kingsport, TN
The Higher Education Initiative revitalized an ailing economy in the northeastern Tennessee city of Kingsport by improving the overall education level of its labor force.

Very cool.

So what’s this “government innovations” list all about? According to the website:

The Innovations in American Government Awards was created by the Ford Foundation in 1985 in response to widespread pessimism and distrust in government’s effectiveness. The awards program acts as a significant force in restoring public trust in government by promoting public sector creativity and excellence.