Ask stakeholders what they need

From department heads to business owners, rating agencies to low income residents, there is a variety of stakeholders with an interest in the city's finances. Managing these complex networks of relationships is important for city leaders–all the more so during a crisis.

ASSESSMENT

Some questions to guide your thinking

  • Who are the city’s stakeholders?
  • What do they need? What are their interests?
  • What power can they exercise to have their needs met?
  • How will the city manage your communications with these stakeholders?
  • What is the city’s plan to provide the various stakeholders what they need?
Reading

Tracking the economic effects of COVID-19 in real time

Opportunity Insights 30 minutes

In this policy brief, Harvard’s Opportunity Insights team discusses lessons from their Economic Tracker, a freely available interactive website that measures economic activity at a granular level (including counties and metropolitan areas) in real time.

  • Throughout the pandemic, high-income households have sharply reduced their spending, primarily on services that require in-person interactions.
  • The only way to drive economic recovery is to invest in public health efforts that restore consumer confidence.
  • Providing and extending targeted assistance to low-income workers impacted by the economic downturn is critical for reducing hardship.
Podcast

Addressing equity during COVID-19

Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) 53 min

In this podcast, Columbus, OH city council president Shannon Harding discusses the disparate impacts of the pandemic on marginalized communities and how the city is bringing equity into the response.

  • COVID-19’s discriminatory effect [26:20]
  • Creating a center for public health innovation to address health inequities [28:35]
  • Supporting the economically vulnerable during COVID-19 [38:25]
  • Small business support: Buy Black Thursdays [42:25]
Resource

Surveying residents’ needs to inform policy making

Harris County, TX

Houston’s leaders created a survey to gather information to help the non-profit, educational, and philanthropic communities understand the economic needs of households affected by ‌COVID-19.

Reading

Leveraging the US Cities’ SDG Report to understand your city

Sustainable Development Solutions Network (United Nations) 10 min skim

The report ranks 105 US cities on progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (SDGs), a collection of global targets designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all."

  • Quickly learn how your city ranks on a variety of policy issues and use the data to prioritize policy responses to the pandemic.
  • City rankings start on page 12.

Reading

Tracking the economic effects of COVID-19 in real time

In this policy brief, Harvard’s Opportunity Insights team discusses lessons from …

Podcast

Addressing equity during COVID-19

In this podcast, Columbus, OH city council president Shannon Harding discusses the …

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Resource

Surveying residents’ needs to inform policy making

Houston’s leaders created a survey to gather information to help the non-profit, …

icon/Link Go to link

Reading

Leveraging the US Cities’ SDG Report to understand your city

The report ranks 105 US cities on progress towards the UN’s Sustainable …