The coronavirus pandemic has wrecked state finances – ballooning its spending, decimating its tax collections, requiring a federal rescue to keep it...
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Many public employees cannot work from home. Towns are searching for new options.
Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director of the Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy,...
An officer was appointed to a cushy county job — after agreeing never to seek work there
Others are more skeptical. Marc H. Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy,...
Bloustein Local, NJMEL collaborate to promote Cybersecurity Month
To promote October 2019 as Cybersecurity Month, Bloustein Local and its partner, the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund collaborated on...
Op-Ed: Getting New Jersey’s Business Incentive Programs ‘Just Right’
The recent report on the state’s business incentive programs by the state comptroller had a positive effect; that’s exactly what comptroller reports...
Cybersecurity and Technology Management Guidance for Local Government
Over the last few years, the center has worked with the NJ Municipal Excess Liability Fund and other organizations to develop guidance on managing...
Where chaos rules. Why politics in three North Jersey towns got totally weird
“New Jersey residents are among the nation’s best educated and most affluent voters, but they have appeared content over the years to leave politics...
America’s Cities Are Running on Software From the ’80s
“New Jersey residents are among the nation’s best educated and most affluent voters, but they have appeared content over the years to leave politics...
NJ property tax guide, authored by Marc Pfeiffer, answers everyday questions for homeowners
The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) and New Jersey Realtors recently released a comprehensive guide for New Jersey...
Senate president’s group proposes ambitious economic, fiscal reforms
Senate President Steve Sweeney put together an Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Committee of lawmakers, academics and private sector experts to say...
Recent Products
TECH UPDATES: What Municipal CAOs Need to Know, Part 1: Tech Fitness and Cyber Hygiene
There are two basic elements of technology that every municipality must have. Most places already do this, but it doesn’t hurt to highlight them. The first is an expert to advise you and your governing body on technology issues. As with other experts you hire—a police...
Monitoring summertime indoor overheating and pollutant risks and natural ventilation patterns of seniors in public housing.
Abstract Indoor heat and air pollution pose concurrent threats to human health and wellbeing, and their effects are more pronounced for vulnerable individuals. This study investigates exposures to summertime indoor overheating and airborne particulate matter (PM2.5)...
First, Do No Harm: Algorithms, AI, and Digital Product Liability
The ethical imperative for technology should be "first, do no harm." But digital innovations like AI and social media increasingly enable societal harms, from bias to misinformation. As these technologies grow ubiquitous, we need solutions to address unintended...
Focus Group Synthesis for Increasing Access to Nature for People with Disabilities
This project is a component of a research-informed white paper focused on the challenges and opportunities associated with access to outdoor recreation for people with disabilities in New Jersey. This report shares the key findings from three focus groups with people...