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The Boston Globe

Opinion

Boston.com

Edward L. Glaeser

A Yelp to let us compare cities, towns

By Edward L. Glaeser

 |   

  April 06, 2012

Today, the Internet provides abundant warnings about unscrupulous mechanics and helpful hints about automotive ailments. Reams of reviews help us choose books and hotel rooms, and harder data helps us to select cars and refrigerators. Yet when it comes to local governments, which provide the very services we need to keep our communities healthy and safe, we often seem stuck in an age that is closer to James Michael Curley than Steve Jobs.

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