NACo launches Counties Futures Lab

The NACo Futures Lab will focus research department's work toward critical county government issues  

My NACo presidential initiative’s theme is “Brilliant Ideas at Work” because counties operate within ever-changing physical, social and economic environments, and county government leaders must anticipate, adapt and innovate to address complex challenges every day.

To help America’s county leaders foster this spirit of innovation, we’re proud to announce the launch of the NACo Counties Futures Lab.

The Counties Futures Lab will build on the NACo Research Department’s existing products to explore the evolving fiscal, economic, political and policy issues that shape the future of county government. The Counties Futures Lab, grounded in analytics, data and knowledge-sharing, will focus on critical county governance and management issues to position county leaders for success.

The Counties Futures Lab will combine NACo’s ground-breaking data analysis with the insights of leading national experts to examine and forecast the trends, innovations and promises of county government.

From the same team that maintains the interactive County Explorer tool and produces NACo’s annual County Economies report, will come forums in partnership with corporate, academic and philanthropic thought-leaders. Through these events, the Counties Futures Lab will lead the discussion of how we can best serve our residents’ needs, highlighting the brilliant ideas we’ve implemented in our counties.

County governments are a national network responsible for 3.6 million employees and public-sector investments totaling nearly $560 billion each year. As such, we are key players in providing the fundamental building blocks for healthy, safe and vibrant communities. The NACo Counties Futures Lab recognizes our immense responsibilities and seeks to empower county officials with new tools and insights to serve our diverse communities across the country.

The NACo Counties Futures Lab will spotlight innovation today that positions us to continue to thrive in the future.

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Stay tuned for upcoming Counties Futures Lab events and publications. Go to www.naco.org/lab