Govern by Number

For example, Cindy Williams of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently wrote a report on how the White House and Congress could help strengthen the Department of Homeland Security. David C. Wyld of Southeastern Louisiana University offered tips for federal officials who yearn to blog.

Other reports have covered such issues as financial management, electronic government, procurement, civil service pay systems and presidential transitions.

The IBM Center offers up to $20,000 in stipends to experts who write the reports.

The practice of having outside experts, rather than company staff, write the reports began when the center was founded as the PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government. Five years ago, the center moved to IBM when IBM bought the consulting arm of the global accounting firm.

Albert Morales is IBM's managing partner for the center, which has a small staff that includes former federal employees, including Breul, who worked at the Office of Management and Budget.

Over the past 10 years, the center has awarded more than 300 research stipends and published more than 200 reports and books. It also produces a weekly radio program featuring interviews with government executives.

The center posts most of its reports on its Web site, http://businessofgovernment.org, which receives an average of 52,000 visits every month. About 40 percent of the visitors are from overseas, Breul said.

The center is revamping its Web site so that readers can search for publications based on subject areas, download podcasts and view two-page summaries of research topics, he said.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.