NGA Center for Best Practices

The NGA Center for Best Practices teams and divisions develop innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges. The center is the only research and development firm that directly serves the nation’s Governors.

Latest

At Disagree Better Event, National Security Experts Warn of the Dangers of Toxic Polarization

At Disagree Better Event, National Security Experts Warn of the Dangers of Toxic Polarization

Americans are all too familiar with the impact of toxic polarization in settings from home to work to Congress. Whether it’s tense conversations at the dinner table or gridlock on ...
State and Territory Leaders Meet for the Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce Summit

State and Territory Leaders Meet for the Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce Summit

The 2023 National Governors Association Healthcare Workforce Summit was held in Broomfield, Colorado, August 21-23, 2023. The summit brought together leaders from 18 states and territories that are part of ...
Bridging Partisan Divides by Repairing American Institutions

Bridging Partisan Divides by Repairing American Institutions

Through his Chair’s Initiative: Disagree Better, National Governors Association Chair Utah Governor Spencer Cox aims to elevate solutions to toxic polarization. At a convening in New Hampshire, Governor Cox welcomed ...
Governors Recognize Suicide Prevention Month  

Governors Recognize Suicide Prevention Month  

Suicide is a leading cause of death and claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 individuals in 2022, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ...

Disagree Better

Americans need to disagree better. And by that we don’t mean that we need to be nicer to each other, although that’s helpful. We need to learn to disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering.

The “exhausted majority” of Americans want this, and the science is clear about interventions that reduce polarization. As doers and builders, Governors are in a unique position to model what healthy conflict looks like.

Governor Spencer Cox’s Disagree Better NGA Chair’s initiative will look at the problems of polarization, elevate the solutions that groups around the country are already implementing, and feature Governors showing what disagreeing better looks like. Through public debates, service projects, public service announcements and a variety of other tactics, Americans will see a more positive and optimistic way of working through our problems.

Program Areas


Center for Best Practices Library

Revisiting Top Trends in State Economic Development

Since the 2013 publication of Top Trends in State Economic Development, governors’ key advisors have continued to explore and implement ...

A Governor’s Guide to Criminal Justice

Governors play a critical role in ensuring public safety and they oversee the state agencies responsible for implementing those policies ...

Medicaid Health Care Purchasing Compendium

States face the ongoing challenge of managing the costs of their Medicaid programs while ensuring beneficiaries have access to quality ...
Leveraging Gubernatorial Executive Authorities to Maximize Scope of Practice for the Health Care Workforce During an Influenza Pandemic Roundtable

Leveraging Gubernatorial Executive Authorities to Maximize Scope of Practice for the Health Care Workforce During an Influenza Pandemic Roundtable

An influenza pandemic has a much broader impact on the population than the typical seasonal flu. Pandemics usually lastlonger and ...

Health Investments that Pay Off: Strategies to Improve Oral Health

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among American children. Access to oral health care that could prevent tooth ...

Health Workforce Policy Academy Closing Meeting

October 21-22, 2015 | Washington, D.C.October 22, 2015 Agenda Presentations:October 21 State Team Presentations Moderator: Lauren Block, program director, Health ...

Using Data to Better Serve the Most Complex Patients

Across the country, health care systems continue to grapple with how best to serve patients with the greatest needs. These ...

Tackling Intergenerational Poverty: How Governors Can Advance Coordinated Services for Low-Income Parents and Children

Poverty and long-term unemployment plague Americans of all ages, including parents and their children. The complexity of the issues requires ...
Social Impact Bonds for Public Health Programs: An Overview

Social Impact Bonds for Public Health Programs: An Overview

The desire to improve health care outcomes and reduce costs has led states to rethink how they deliver health care ...

Enhancing The Role of Fusion Centers in Cybersecurity

Fusion centers were created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to facilitate the type of multi-jurisdictional information sharing needed to prevent ...

Strategies For Improving Outcomes For Justice-Involved Youth

A growing body of research finds that for many youth, involvement in the juvenile justice system can increase rates of ...

States Work To Improve Energy Efficiency Of Multifamily Buildings

WASHINGTON—Improving the energy efficiency of multifamily buildings can help states reduce consumers’ energy costs, strengthen electricity system reliability and lower ...

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