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| What Works Cities | |
|---|---|
| Name | What Works Cities |
| Formation | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Bloomberg Philanthropies |
| Region served | United States |
| Parent organization | Bloomberg Philanthropies |
What Works Cities What Works Cities is an initiative launched to improve municipal decision-making, transparency, and performance through data, evidence, and evaluation. It partners with mayors, city managers, and municipal staff to advance practices in performance management, open data, and results-driven leadership, drawing on expertise from philanthropy, academia, and nonprofit organizations. The initiative emphasizes practical tools, peer learning, and technical assistance to help participating cities adopt evidence-based approaches to public service delivery.
What Works Cities was established to promote data-driven decision-making across municipal administrations, engaging elected officials and civil servants in cities of varying sizes, including large metropolises and smaller municipalities. The program connects municipal leaders with resources from philanthropic organizations, research institutions, and nonprofit networks such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Kennedy School, Urban Institute, and Brookings Institution. Participating municipalities gain access to frameworks for performance management, open data adoption, and civic analytics, often collaborating with professional associations like the National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors, and International City/County Management Association. The initiative also involves technology partners, data platforms, and civic tech organizations such as Open Data Institute, Sunlight Foundation, and Code for America.
The initiative was announced in the mid-2010s with backing from philanthropic entities and civic leaders, building on earlier movements in transparency and accountability pioneered by organizations like the Government Accountability Office and Center for Evidence-Based Policy. Early pilots drew on municipal experiments in cities associated with figures like Michael Bloomberg and institutions such as New York City Mayor's Office of Data Analytics. The program expanded through regional workshops, peer exchanges, and national summits that included representatives from municipal networks like the National Association of Counties and academic partners including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Chicago. Over time, the initiative incorporated lessons from performance frameworks used in jurisdictions tied to policymakers and practitioners from bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and World Bank urban programs.
Membership typically involves a multistage application or nomination process aimed at mid-sized and large municipalities, with selection criteria informed by prior work in transparency and statistical capacity similar to assessments used by organizations like Gates Foundation grantees. Once selected, city teams—often including mayors, chief data officers, and budget directors—participate in technical assistance coordinated with partners like Results for America, Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins (now known under affiliated names), and civic data labs at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University. The program offers tiered support: foundational assessments, targeted consulting engagements, and peer-to-peer learning through convenings with leaders from cities like Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Governance of the initiative involves advisory councils drawing on expertise from nonprofit leaders, academic researchers, and municipal practitioners.
Core offerings include toolkits for performance management modeled on templates from Harvard Kennedy School projects, open data portals influenced by standards from the Open Data Charter, and procurement guides aligned with practices advocated by Government Finance Officers Association. Technical assistance often leverages analytics platforms and dashboards produced by civic technology firms and university labs, and draws on methods from randomized controlled trials discussed at venues like Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management conferences. Other tools include data inventories, privacy frameworks echoing work from Berkman Klein Center, and training curricula co-developed with institutions such as Syracuse University and University of Pennsylvania.
Evaluations of participating municipalities report improvements in metrics such as service response times, budget transparency, and program targeting, with case studies highlighting reforms in cities affiliated with mayors and city managers recognized by national awards like the Harvard Ash Center innovations lists. Independent assessments have involved collaborators from RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, and academic researchers publishing in journals associated with American Political Science Association and Public Administration Review. Metrics used for evaluation draw on performance measurement traditions from agencies such as the Government Accountability Office and standards from the International Organization for Standardization where applicable to data management.
The initiative is primarily funded through philanthropic grants from entities including Bloomberg Philanthropies, foundations associated with civic grantmaking like the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and collaborations with corporate partners and technology firms. Strategic partnerships extend to academic centers, municipal associations, and nonprofit intermediaries including Results for America, National League of Cities, Brookings Institution, and civic technology groups like Code for America. Funding agreements often support technical assistance contracts with consulting firms and university centers that provide training, platform development, and evaluation services.
Critics have raised concerns about equity, local political dynamics, and the transferability of technical solutions across diverse municipalities, echoing debates seen in discussions involving American Civil Liberties Union and privacy advocates from institutions like Electronic Frontier Foundation. Scholars at universities such as Princeton University and University of California, Los Angeles have critiqued overreliance on metrics and the potential for mission drift when municipal priorities shift with electoral cycles. Other challenges include sustaining funding beyond initial grants, integrating legacy information systems common in cities studied by Government Accountability Office, and ensuring participatory safeguards promoted by community organizations like Participatory Budgeting Project and civil society groups.
Category:Public policy organizations in the United States