"Putting Vision into Practice - Managing During Times of Economic Uncertainty"
January 10, 2002

On January 10, 2002, the Rappaport Institute participated in organizing a one-day executive program for elected and non-elected officials from the City of Cambridge. Sponsored by the Kennedy School of Government and Harvard University's Office of Government, Community, and Public Affairs, the executive program granted public servants from Cambridge a chance to explore innovations in public management and focus on challenges presented in an economic downturn. More than sixty public officials representing all part of city government participated in the executive program.

The daylong program included sessions such as "Governing Greater Boston - How Cambridge Fits (or Doesn't) in a Regional Context," "Strategies for Ratcheting up Performance in Municipal Government," "The Limits of Collaboration," and "Lessons of Innovations." Because such a broad representation of Cambridge government was present, the program gave Harvard's faculty a rare chance to hear from all of city government, rather than a group of one type of official - such as city managers or police chiefs who may attend other events.

Though the overall topic was economic uncertainty, the discussion touched on the events of Sept. 11 and the impact that that has had, economically and otherwise. The program also offered a chance to watch abstract ideas getting translated into reality by the people responsible for the hands-on running of city government, and allowed front-line city officials to talk with elected city officials.