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

Congressional Briefing on Building Readiness and Strengthening Resiliency to Combat Disasters and Emerging Threats

Congressional Briefing on Building Readiness and Strengthening Resiliency to Combat Disasters and Emerging Threats

On May 7, 2024, the NGA Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force held a congressional briefing on building readiness and resiliency to combat disasters and emerging threats including cyber, ...
Plans of Safe Care: Bridging the Gap for Families Affected by Substance Use Disorder

Plans of Safe Care: Bridging the Gap for Families Affected by Substance Use Disorder

On April 23, 2024, the National Governors Association Children and Families team hosted the monthly Human Services Policy Advisors Institute on state levers for implementing and monitoring plans of safe ...
NGA Convenes Six States to Explore Best Practices to Advance Disability Inclusive Workforce Policy

NGA Convenes Six States to Explore Best Practices to Advance Disability Inclusive Workforce Policy

As Governors work to confront an extremely tight labor market, efforts to reduce barriers to workforce participation and success are increasingly critical for filling in-demand jobs. A key pillar of ...
Governor McKee Hosts Statewide Event to Address Chronic Absenteeism

Governor McKee Hosts Statewide Event to Address Chronic Absenteeism

The National Governors Association (NGA) joined Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, Always Learning Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Department of Education May 11 to hold a ceremony at the ...

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 looks at the problems of polarization, elevates the solutions that groups around the country are already implementing, and features 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

Improving Human Services Programs and Outcomes Through Shared Data

Governors are responsible for ensuring that state government meets the needs of their constituents across a range of areas—human services/social ...

Medicaid High-Need, High-Cost Programs: Promising Practices for Evaluation Metrics

For three years, NGA has been working with 10 states and 1 territory to develop statewide programs that transform the ...

The Potential Role for Microgrids During Electric Power Outages Webinar

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a webinar on microgrids for critical asset resiliency. This ...

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Webinar #2

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted the second in a series of three webinars designed ...

Health Investments That Pay Off: A Comprehensive Approach to Tobacco Control

Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature disease and death in the United States, costing more than $170 billion ...

The Future of Medicaid Transformation: A Practical Guide for States

The National Governors Association (NGA) supports governors and the crucial role they play in state Medicaid transformation. States seeking approval ...

Aligning Energy Efficiency and Demand Response to Lower Peak Electricity Demand, Reduce Costs and Address Reliability Concerns

States across the country are confronting a shift to a “peakier” pattern in the use of electricity—meaning the highest levels ...

Finding Solutions to the Prescription Opioid and Heroin Crisis: A Road Map for States

Inappropriate opioid prescribing is fueling one of the deadliest drug epidemics in United States history. Every day in the U.S., ...

Starting a C-PACE Program: What You Need to Know

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted the first in a series of three webinars designed ...

The Role of Geographic Information Systems in State Energy Assurance Planning and Response

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a webcast on geographic information systems (GIS) tools and ...

Cleaning Up America’s Nuclear Weapons Complex: 2015 Update for Governors

Governors play an important role in the nuclear cleanup effort by ensuring that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), their ...

Small Business and Cybersecurity

Virtually any small business relies on technology and an Internet connection to thrive in today’s hyper-competitive, digital economy. Consequently, small ...

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