The Global Network of Government Innovators is beginning a monthly newsletter. Our intention is to provide members a simple vehicle to share ideas and insights that might stimulate replication of innovations or provoke innovation in other contexts.

It is our expectation that this publication will be totally written by readers and we hope that you will take the time to share your thoughts so that we can create a community that freely exchanges ideas.

Each month the newsletter will be devoted to one theme; the topics are listed in the calendar below.

Please share innovations, research results, and resources -- books, websites, and upcoming events -- that may be of interest to our global audience.

We ask that you submit articles that are no longer than 500-700 words. If you would like to submit research results, we can link to online research, but we ask that you summarize the results in 500-700 words.

Deadlines for articles are the first working days of the publication months. If you would like to submit something for a later issue, please do so. Based on the volume of submissions, we may not be able to publish all content received and we reserve the right to edit and/or condense that content.

If you would prefer to receive a text version of this newsletter, please click on the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this email and check the appropriate box in the Update form.

Best,

Susan Valaskovic

Global Network of Government Innovators

Access in democratic societies may be understood as the match between the institutional capacity to deliver rights or services and the citizen's capacity to enjoy those rights or services. Unfortunately, around the world, we often notice a mismatch between the two. People may have the right to start a business, participate in politics, receive social benefits, or take a case to court, but in practice, many obstacles stand in the way.

The research project Improving Access explores the ways in which democratic institutions fail or succeed to create genuinely equal opportunities. We are especially interested in innovations that have increased access to democratic processes, public services and justice.

Please send articles, resources, and events related to this theme to globalnetworknews@ksg.harvard.edu no later than March 5, 2008.