Is there a public policy or governmental issue that you believe is important to the New Orleans area? The Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) requests your ideas for potential research reports and events.
Submit your idea using this link:
We accept ideas year-round, but please respond by Monday, February 5 to ensure consideration in our current planning process.
Your perspective is important to us. It broadens our thinking on ways we can help make government more efficient, effective, accountable and transparent.
BGR’s research generally focuses on five main areas:
- General Administration and Government Structure. BGR examines general government topics in Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany parishes, such as civil service and ethics.
- Infrastructure. BGR explores funding and management of local streets, water, sewer, drainage and flood control, and other infrastructure systems.
- Government Finance. We dig into budgets and audits, property assessments, taxes, pensions and contracting, among other topics.
- Essential Services and Core Systems. BGR reports on K-12 public education, public safety, parks and recreation, and other essential services.
- Public Involvement in the Private Sector. We recognize the many ways in which government supports residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations. We examine the policy goals, as well as public fiscal contributions and regulations. For example, BGR has reported on economic development and housing programs, public investments in tourism, conventions and sports, planning and zoning laws, and tax exemptions.
As you might suspect, we receive many more good ideas than we can address. We prioritize projects based on their public impact, time sensitivity, and the potential for BGR to add value with our research. Ultimately, our board of directors approves the research work plan.
As an independent research organization, we seek greater governmental performance and accountability. We also seek to promote sound stewardship of public resources, position government to better address the region’s critical challenges, and create effective, sustainable outcomes for the whole community.
Our public events support those efforts. We hosted several free events last year to connect citizens to important topics in our community. These included four Breakfast Briefings, generously sponsored by First Horizon Bank and available to watch here on BGR’s YouTube channel:
- Three briefings featured speakers who discussed topics on the minds of many New Orleanians. They included the new superintendent of NOLA Public Schools, City of New Orleans administrators for the RoadWork NOLA program, and the New Orleans Police Department’s new superintendent.
- The fourth Breakfast Briefing took place in St. Tammany Parish and explored whether the parish should shrink its 14-member Parish Council. The discussion inspired the St. Tammany Parish Council to form a committee to consider a possible reduction in size.
Help us find the best new report and event ideas by submitting your suggestion today.
This article is part of BGR’s Perspectives on Public Policy series, which features insights from BGR team members about the organization and its work in the metropolitan New Orleans area.