Journal shares new research in public administration.

• Position: News & Numbers

One of the challenges facing local governments is the need for timely research on the issues that they face; however, there is often a disconnect between the work conducted by academics and the local needs. To address this issue, the Midwest Public Affairs Conference has established a new peer-reviewed, open-access journal where all published research has specific practitioner needs in mind. The result is the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, and the first issue, which addresses improving efficiency in revenue forecasting, engaging the public with social media, and improving efficiency and equity in local taxation, is available on the JPNA website at www.jpna.org.

Articles include:

* "A "Dirty" Approach to Efficient Revenue Forecasting," which discusses ways to use non-traditional coincident indicators to find out about the behavior within an environment in the here and now, rather than measuring the environment itself. By focusing on behavior, this kind of forecast is able to pick up changes in the environment well before the changes become measurable outcomes.

* "Effective Social Media Engagement for Non-Profits: What Matters?" which employs public management relationship theory to examine how non-profits can effectively engage social media stakeholders in two-way communication.

* "Could Land-Only Taxation Save Local Government in Indiana?" which articulates a case for the State of Indiana to exempt all non-land property from the taxable portion of the property tax base. This would moves the state closer to a tax system that has great support among economists for its advantages in encouraging economic growth, progressivity...