The End of Government...As We Know It: Making Public Policy Work (Paperback)

by Elaine Ciulla Kamarck (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This important book examines how bureaucracy can be updated to deal with the quickly evolving demands of the 21 century a st nd also uses real-world examples to help us understand how new alternatives can best be applied." - Richard Waterman, University of Kentucky "Kamarck properly emphasizes the crucial importance of implementation for achieving results and makes clear that there are alternatives to creating yet another bureaucracy, shuffling the boxes on the organization chart, or creating another layer of management. Any member of Congress who takes Congressional oversight seriously - and shouldn't they all? - would certainly benefit from reading this book." - James Davis, Washington University in St. Louis"

Product Description
In the last decades of the 20th century, many political leaders declared that government was, in the words of Ronald Reagan, "the problem, not the solution." But on closer inspection, argues Elaine Kamarck, the revolt against "government" was and is a revolt against bureaucracy - a revolt that has taken place in first world, developing, and avowedly communist countries alike. To some, this looks like the end of government. Kamarck, however, counters that what we are seeing is the replacement of the traditional bureaucratic approach with new models more in keeping with the information age economy. "The End of Government" explores the emerging contours of this new, postbureaucratic state - the sequel to government as we know it - considering: What forms will it take? Will it work in all policy arenas? Will it serve democratic ideals more effectively than did the bureaucratic state of the previous century? Perhaps most significantly, how will leadership be redefined in these new circumstances? Kamarck's provocative work makes it clear that, in addition to figuring out what to do, today's government leaders face an unprecedented number of options when it comes to how to do things. The challenge of government increasingly will be to choose an implementation mode, match it to a policy problem, and manage it well in the postbureaucratic world.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 157 pages
• Publisher: Lynne Rienner Pub (February 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588264947
• ISBN-13: 978-1588264947
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #634,658 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A plain-spoken, serious-minded plethora of twenty-first century solutions, July 8, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Written by Elaine C. Kamarck, a former senior policy advisor to the Clinton administration, The End of Government...As We Know It: Making Public Policy Work is a nonpartisan examination of the failings of bureaucratic government models with newer, leaner, and more creative approaches in keeping with the fast-paced and ever-changing information age. Chapters address the problem of homeland security and why bureaucratic thinking has failed to solve it, tools for reinventing the public sector such as waivers, applying the reinvention of government to the problem of welfare dependence (one such positive example is the use of an electronic benefit card to supplant food stamps - since food stamps can be used like cash and are thus more susceptible to corruption) and much more. A plain-spoken, serious-minded plethora of twenty-first century solutions to problems compounded by bureaucratic quagmires left over from the twentieth century. Highly recommended, especially for anyone active in local, state, or federal government.