Focus Work to Be Done Economic stimulus is an aspect of an economic theory, known as fiscal policy, developed by John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s. Fiscal policy advocates the use of government spending and revenue collection to influence the state of a nation's economy. In the absence of spending by individuals and businesses, this theory posits that the government can increase aggregate demand for goods and services by making up the shortfall in private-sector spending through supplying stimulus funding. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was based largely on proposals made by President Obama to fulfill promises he made during the presidential election. The wide-ranging provisions of ARRA are nominally worth $787 billion and address both short- and long-term goals. Jump-starting the economy, saving or creating between three and four million jobs, making college more affordable, weatherizing federal building space, and providing tax credits for children and low-wage workers top the list of immediate goals sought by the bill. Mixed in with these goals are more long-term ones, such as computerizing health records, reviving the renewable energy industry, and modernizing the existing energy infrastructure as well as the physical infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and mass transit construction. In addition to strategic spending, one of the Obama's avowed goals, as enunciated in the bill, is "unprecedented levels of transparency, oversight, and accountability." The government Web site, Recovery.com, is the centerpiece of this program. It supplies current information on federal grant awards and contracts so taxpayers can directly learn how stimulus funds are being spent. Monitoring for Better Performance Ultimately, government tranparency is about getting government to better perform by reducing waste and inefficiency and eliminating unnecessary spending. As Obama stated in his inaugural address, "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works—whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end." GIS has proved an outstanding tool for performance measurement and management accountability. Maryland governor Martin O'Malley has ably demonstrated the effectiveness of GIS for this purpose. O'Malley, who was then the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, created an expanded version of a GIS-based Maryland governor Martin O'Malley has ably demonstrated the effectiveness of GIS for performance measurement and accountability. program called ComStat. Focused on reducing crime, ComStat was implemented by the New York City Police Department to identify high-crime locations and get resources to those areas. In 2000, O'Malley began using GIS across city departments as a tool for better government. This approach, called CitiStat, initially focused on cracking down on the rampant absenteeism in the city's workforce. After saving the city $13.2 million in its first year, the program was greatly expanded: the city now uses it to manage all city programs from potholes to parks, and it has saved Baltimore hundreds of millions of dollars. The success of CitiStat has also led to the adoption of this approach by 11 other cities, most recently Washington, D.C. "GIS is an important part of our performance-based approach to government," said Governor O'Malley. "By analyzing our performance in a geographic context, we are able to reduce operating costs, increase revenue streams, and improve the quality of service we deliver to citizens. An efficient government is one that uses resources responsibly and effectively, and this approach to operations helps us achieve that." When O'Malley moved to the governor's mansion in 2006, he took with him his conviction that GIS could make government better and expanded to another level. As governor, he has developed two programs similar in principle to CitiStat. StateStat monitors the performance of state agencies. BayStat helps rehabilitate the Chesapeake Bay by coordinating various efforts and programs and uses data from the departments of Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources, and Planning. Continued on page 14 ww w e ri com w ww.esri.com www.esri.com www.esri.com w es o ArcUser Summer 2009 13