Collection: Institute of Public Administration Collection Printed Materials and Reports, 1907-1959

Description: A unique colleciton of reports from the Institute of Public Administration on the origins of reform government in the US. The organization was created and financed in the early twentieth centurey by wealthy reform-minded New Yorkers, including the Rockefeller, Carnegie and Harriman families, to promote honest, efficient government. The IPA (and its predecessor, the Bureau of Municipal Research) taught NY and municipalities worldwide the necessities of budgets, training for public servants, and investigative studies to expose waste and corruption. Reports are from the period 1920-1950 and cover the workings of municipalities and states around the country and the measures taken by municipal governments to improve their operations.