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Global Case Studies Series in Public Policy
“Innovations in City Government: A Case Study of New York City’s Workforce Development System”
The first of the Global Case Studies in Public Policy appropriately focuses on a policy innovation in New York City, the restructuring of the workforce development system, and was authored by senior SIPA faculty member Professor Ester Fuchs. Professor Fuchs is the director of SIPA’s Urban Policy concentration. From 2001 to 2005, Professor Fuchs served as New York City’s Special Advisor for Governance and Strategic Planning. While at City Hall, Professor Fuchs spearheaded three major initiatives for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg: restructuring the city’s Out-of-School Time programs for children; the Integrated Human Services Systems Project, which streamlined processes in 13 human services agencies across the city; and the merger of the Department of Employment with the Department of Small Business Services to align workforce development with the needs of the city’s business community (the topic of the first case study in this series). Professor Fuchs currently serves on the Mayor’s Sustainability Advisory Board, the NYC Economic Opportunity Commission, the NYC Workforce Investment Board, and the NYC Commission on Women’s Issues. Professor Fuchs is the recipient of numerous prestigious grants and fellowships and has a long list of highly-regarded books, chapters, and articles on a broad array of issues relevant to urban policy.
This case study is titled, “Innovations in City Government: A Case Study of New York City’s Workforce Development System.” It explores the complex relationship between national, state, and local authorities in the creation and implementation of public policy, a theme that will pervade the SIPA case study series. It also examines the importance of designing policy that draws on the ideas and innovations of the public, private, and civil sectors of society. Through highlighting New York City’s workforce development system, the Case Study offers insight into how political support for innovative policy is developed; how the necessary organizational change is implemented; and how a performance-based outcomes driven system is operationalized. The case of New York is a story of local workforce and economic development innovations, but it is also a story of how cities can leverage public and private resources through policy innovations in order to remain competitive in a global economy.
By drawing on these themes, this case study is an excellent inauguration of the SIPA Case Studies Series. To read the full case study, please click here.