ABSTRACT

State-level reform has taken several active paths during the past decade. This entry describes three distinct but potentially compatible directions for state reform—the enhancement of internal management subsystems, the movement toward a results orientation in agencies, and the expansion of customer and stakeholder accessibility to the functions of government via online technological advancements. For each reform line, this entry offers context and definition, specification of systems or process changes, and assessment of analytic endeavors to contrast state progress. State rankings on these reforms are compared, and a discussion of the measurement of potential outcomes of reform is initiated.