Government 2.0: Using Technology to Improve Education, Cut Red Tape, Reduce Gridlock, and Enhance Democracy [Hardcover]

William D. Eggers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2004

Unhyped and therefore unnoticed, technology is altering the behavior and mission of city halls, statehouses, schools, and federal agencies across America. From transportation to education to elections to law enforcement (or, as we're now referring to it, "homeland security"), the digital revolution is transforming government and politics, slashing bureaucracies; improving services; producing innovative solutions to some of our nation's thorniest problems; changing the terms of the Left/Right political debate; and offering ordinary people access to a degree of information and individual influence until recently accessible only to the most powerful citizens, finally redeeming the Founding Fathers' original vision for our democracy, and enriching American life and society in the process.

Based on interviews with over 500 leading politicians, researchers, technology industry CEOs and leaders, futurists and front-line public employees, Government 2.0 journeys across America and overseas to demonstrate the promise and perils of this emerging world and offer a likely road map to its implementation. You'll hear from technology executives preparing for an onrushing future when, for many citizens, most government interactions could take place on private-sector websites; from bureaucrats like OSHA's Ed Stern fighting to get their agencies to adopt expert systems technology; from William Bennett, whose virtual education company offers a glimpse into one possible future of American education; and from Governor Jeb Bush and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as they endeavor to overcome bureaucratic inertia to provide more open, efficient, and effective governments.

Rich with anecdotes and case studies, Government 2.0 is a must read for every entrepreneur frustrated by paperwork, every parent who's sick of being surprised by bad report cards, every commuter stuck in traffic, every activist trying to fight City Hall, and every taxpayer who cares about the future of government.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this important book, William Eggers shows convincingly just how much promise technology holds for making government more efficient, transparent, and responsive to its citizens. Eggers displays a keen understanding of policy-making in the digital age. Accompanying his insightful policy prescriptions are invaluable tips for putting the ideas into practice. Government 2.0 is a great contribution to freedom and democracy. (Owens, Bill )

Government 2.0 should be required reading for all policy makers; it showcases the power of harnessing new technologies in a readable fashion with wonderful, real-life anecdotes. The information is vital for anyone helping to chart the political, cultural, and economic future of our country. (Cathilea Robinett )

Bill Eggers effectively identifies that democracy in America today is increasingly being played out by everyday citizens in front of computer screens. He shows that political leaders can be in constructive two-way conversations with their constituents if they understand the dynamics of today's technologies. (R. T. Rybak )

Bill Eggers is one of the country's leading experts on government reform. I have been reading and listening to him for a decade, since I first was elected mayor of Indianapolis. His new book, Government 2.0, provides a major contribution to the public policy debate. (Goldsmith, Stephen )

Every year, more governments are using technology to become more user-friendly and transparent for citizens, and, ultimately, more effective--moving from old-style patronage politics to performance politics. Government 2.0 is a great place to start for government leaders who want to make the right choices to have the biggest impact. (O'Malley, Martin )

The author makes a compelling case that state and federal government agencies have been slow to benefit from the digital revolution. (Current Affairs Forecast )

The scope of [Eggers's] work is ambitious. Eggers surveys major government services from schools to security, and offers a detailed overview of the ways in which technology is--or could be--transforming government from a centralized behemoth into a responsive entity, offering the kind of personalized, flexible service we've come to expect from private firms. (Megan McArdle New York Post )

About the Author

William D. Eggers is senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and global director for Deloitte Research, Public Sector in Washington, D.C. He is the coauthor of Revolution at the Roots: Making Our Government Smaller, Better, and Closer to Home (1995), which won the Sir Anthony Fisher International Memorial Award, and Governing by Network
The New Shape of the Public Sector (2004), winner of the 2005 Louis Brownlow Book Award. He splits his time between Austin, Texas and the Washington, D.C. area.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (December 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742541754
• ISBN-13: 978-0742541757
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,488,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William (Bill) Eggers is one of the country's best known authorities on government reform. An author, columnist, and popular speaker for two decades, he has built a significant following among public sector thought leaders in the U.S., Canada and overseas. Eggers has advised dozens of cities, states and foreign countries and trained hundreds of public officials on government restructuring. He is a sought after speaker, giving close to 100 speeches each year. His upcoming book will be published by Harvard Business Press in the fall of 2009.
Currently as the global director for Deloitte Research and executive director of Deloitte's Public Leadership Institute, he is responsible for research and thought leadership for Deloitte's Public Sector practice.
Eggers is a former appointee to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget's Performance Measurement Advisory Commission and the former Project Director for the Texas Performance Review/e-Texas initiative. He was involved in two performance reviews, in which he identified over $2.5 billion worth of savings and non-tax revenues for the state. More than 60 percent of the recommendations in the reviews were enacted into law. Eggers also served as a Commissioner for the Texas Incentive and Productivity Commission and a designee on the Texas Council on Competitive Government.
Eggers is a former senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and the former director of Government Reform at the Reason Public Policy Institute. Prior to joining the Reason Foundation, Eggers assisted reformers in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union with the transition to market economies. Eggers graduated magna cum laude from the University of California at San Diego.
HONORS
Eggers is the 1996 winner of the prestigious Roe Award for leadership and innovation in public policy research. He also received the 2002 APEX award for excellence in business journalism.
Eggers' book "Governing by Network" was the winner of the National Academy of Public Administration's 2005 Louis Brownlow Award for best book on public management. In addition, his book "Revolution at the Roots" won the 1996 Sir Anthony Fisher Award for the book "making the greatest contribution to the understanding of the free economy during the past two years."
He coined the terms "Government 2.0" and (with co-author Stephen Goldsmith) "Governing by Network" in his 2005 and 2006 books of the same names.
PUBLICATIONS
Eggers is the author of numerous books on government reform including:
* The Public Innovator's Playbook: Nurturing Bold Ideas in Government (Deloitte Research 2009)
* States of Transition: Tackling Government's Toughest Policy and Management Challenges (Deloitte Research, 2006)
* Government 2.0: Using Technology to Improve Education, Cut Red Tape, Reduce Gridlock and Enhance Democracy (Rowman and Littlefield, 2005)
* Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector (Brookings, 2004 with Stephen Goldsmith)
* Revolution at the Roots: Making our Government Smaller, Better and Closer to Home (The Free Press, 1995 with John O'Leary)
Eggers' commentary has also appeared in dozens of major media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, San Francisco Chronicle and Orange County Register. His upcoming book on how governments can improve their ability to do get big things done will be published in 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent research, enjoyably told, January 14, 2005

By 

E. Stern "An old student" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Government 2.0: Using Technology to Improve Education, Cut Red Tape, Reduce Gridlock, and Enhance Democracy (Hardcover)

I am half way through this book, but I cannot wait to comment. It is a fascinating piece of research and a marvelous work of story telling. It reports on real people and their problems with government, and on real people with exciting solutions. It is hard to believe, but this is a book on government that is vivid, memorable, and enjoyable. That's why I think it Government 2.0 will have a genuine impact. The book is a gold mine of ideas, but readers don't have to dig out the nuggets. They just fall into our laps. Frankly, this book could be the basis for a television series of exciting discussions on innovation. The scope of issues reported is quite amazing. Finally, although this is about the use of technology to improve government, it is written for policy makers and the general public.