Partnerships between cities and other institutions have great potential for data-related projects. The National Resource Network, NYU Wagner, and the Urban Institute released a report examining such partnerships: “Striking a (Local) Grand Bargain: How cities and anchor institutions can work together to drive growth and prosperity.” In CitiesSpeak, Neil Kleiman, the report’s lead author, analyzes some of the key findings.

Massachusetts announced GovNext, which is an “intrapreneurial initiative” working on low-cost, high-impact technology projects. GovNext will include projects with partners, short-term experimental pilots, and projects to improve core operations. GovTech interviewed Karthik Viswanathan, Deputy CIO, about the initiative.

The Economist offers a critical take on the rise of open data, asking why more has not happened with the vast quantities of data that have been opened by governments around the world. The article cites four main reasons: much open data isn’t useful, it’s hard to navigate, there aren’t enough people with skills to use the data, and there are too many concerns about privacy.

Code for America announced their 2016 government partners: Kansas City, Long Beach, New Orleans, New York City, Salt Lake County, and Seattle. Teams of fellows will work with each of these governments in 2016 to find digital solutions to public service challenges.