Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector [Paperback]

Stephen Goldsmith (Author), William D. Eggers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0815731299 | ISBN-13: 978-0815731290 | Publication Date: November 1, 2004

A fundamental, but mostly hidden, transformation is happening in the way public services are being delivered, and in the way local and national governments fulfill their policy goals. Government executives are redefining their core responsibilities away from managing workers and providing services directly to orchestrating networks of public, private, and nonprofit organizations to deliver the services that government once did itself. Authors Stephen Goldsmith and William D. Eggers call this new model governing by network and maintain that the new approach is a dramatically different type of endeavor that simply managing divisions of employees. Like any changes of such magnitude, it poses major challenges for those in charge. Faced by a web of relationships and partnerships that increasingly make up modern governance, public managers must grapple with skill-set issues (managing a contract to capture value); technology issues (incompatible information systems); communications issues (one partner in the network, for example, might possess more information than another); and cultural issues (how interplay among varied public, private, and nonprofit sector cultures can create unproductive dissonance). Governing by Network examines for the first time how managers on both sides of the aisle, public and private, are coping with the changes. Drawing from dozens of case studies, as well as established best practices, the authors tell us what works and what doesnt. Here is a clear roadmap for actually governing the networked state for elected officials, business executives, and the broader public.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In GOVERNING BY NETWORK, Goldsmith and Eggers answer one of the most important public policy questions of our time." -- Edward G. Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania

"The definitive book on managing government in the networked age." -- Anthony A. Williams, Mayor of Washington, D.C.

"This book is a must read for anyone concerned with how to make government better and more cost effective." -- Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts

About the Author

Stephen Goldsmith, mayor of Indianapolis from 1992 to 1999, is the Daniel Paul Professor of Government and faculty chair of the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is also chair of the Manhattan Institute Center on Civic Innovation and author of The 21st Century City (Regnery, 1997).

William D. Eggers is the global director at Deloitte Research, Public Sector, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, and a contributing writer to Public CIO magazine. A nationally recognized expert on government reform, he is coauthor of Revolution at the Roots: Making Our Government Smaller, Better, and Closer to Home (Free Press, 1995).

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815731299
• ISBN-13: 978-0815731290
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Government     > Public Affairs & Administration
  • #73 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Government     > Federal Government

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly outlines what works in a networked state, March 14, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector (Hardcover)

Written by former politician Stephen Goldsmith and global director of Deloitte Research, Public Sector William D. Eggers, Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector exposes a largely hidden but nonetheless monumental transformation in the manner that public services are delivered and local and national governments fulfill their policy goals. Dubbed "governing by network", it presents great challenges to those in charge: skill-set issues (managing a contract to capture value); technology issues (keeping information systems compatible with one another); communications issues; cultural issues (including differences between public, private and nonprofit sector cultures) and much more. Governing by Network clearly outlines what works in a networked state and what is a recipe for failure, using case studies as well as firmly established practices. Chapters focus on achieving the goals of efficiency and effectiveness in the constantly changing and increasingly technological 21st century. Governing by Network is especially recommended for political leaders, political science teachers, political science students, and school library collections for its invaluable contribution to observing dramatic shifts in leadership and day-to-day practice requirements.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Public Private Business Connection, January 15, 2006

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector (Paperback)

The average citizen may not notice it, but government is rapidly changing. Nongovernment workers are now delivering services that the government used to deliver as recently as a decade ago. As public policy specialists, authors Stephen Goldsmith and William Eggers know this area well. Their book is full of dense organizational descriptions, which come to life only when they use real-world examples. Fortunately, they do so often, presenting interesting facts and case studies. Still, this book is intended for serious students of public policy and government. Numerous checklists bog it down and may not be practical to use. We recommend it to public officials, policy-makers and citizens who want to understand trends in government and the ways that governing by network is changing the political scene.

27 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More Lazy Thinking About Government, December 14, 2006

By 

DC (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector (Paperback)

The "run government like a business" mantra has become so simplified in the minds of most people that it basically means, "if you want something done right, hand it over to private enterprise." This book is one more symptom of such lazy thinking. While the authors include some helpful insights about how governments can deliver services without being the primary provider, their underlying assumption is that all government is hidebound, inefficient, and boorish. Contrasting this is the innovative, public-spirited private sector--the answer to the world's ills, if only Neanderthal government would get out of the way.

It would be interesting to turn the concept on its head: let's run business like a government. Let corporate America open all of its records--including emails and even voice mail--to any person who wants it; let them go to the people every four years and ask them to evaluate their record of adding value; let them function without expense accounts, with secondhand furniture in dismal settings, without gyms or Business Class; and let them try to achieve long-range goals with a board that thinks in four year increments and whose every action is dissected daily in the opinion pages of the local newspaper.

The simple fact is that there are some things the government ought to be doing because private enterprise cannot do it at a profit. Americans have come to believe that every tax is a bad tax when, in fact, government services account for much of what Americans value in life. Unfortunately, this book simply feeds that sloppy mentality.