System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics, 2nd Edition (Public Affairs and Policy Administration Series) [Paperback]

Donald F Kettl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0872893332 | ISBN-13: 978-0872893337 | Edition: 2

WINNER OF THE LOUIS BROWNLOW BOOK AWARD! <P>The massive bureaucratic reorganization under the Department of Homeland Security was a response to the system-wide coordination problems brought to light on 9/11. Better planning, new leadership, and far-reaching reform were to demonstrate that the U.S. had learned its lessons well, that it would be prepared for the next attack or disaster. But the catastrophic response to Hurricane Katrina unequivocally showed how this restructuring has not brought about the kinds of long term policy changes that are necessary to deal effectively and efficiently with threats--whether manmade or natural. <P>Is the system permanently broken? Should FEMA be removed from DHS or abolished altogether? Donald Kettl, in this thoroughly updated second edition, takes a hard look at the most recent stress on the system. He explores how the 9/11 Commission forever changed public discourse on the topic as well as discusses the ways in which FEMA might be reformed. The country faces solvable problems, he argues, yet is in dire need of new leadership at every level. In his brief, gripping narrative, Kettl assesses how well the U.S. political system responds under extraordinary pressure and asks if the focus will continue to be on fighting the last war. There is small chance the catastrophe that lies ahead will replicate the last one. Is the government ready to face that next challenge?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Donald F. Kettl is the Stanley I. Sheerr Endowed Term Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, director of the Fels Institute of Government and professor of political science. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Kettl is the author of numerous books, including <I>System under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics (Winner of the 2005 Louis Brownlow Book Award); Deficit Politics; Leadership at the Fed;</I> and <I>The Next Government of the United States</I> (forthcoming). His <I>Transformation of Governance: Public Administration for Twenty-first Century America</I> (2002) shared the 2003 Brownlow Book Award for the best book in public administration. Kettl has consulted broadly for government organizations and is a regular columnist for <I>Governing</I> magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: CQ Press; 2 edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872893332
• ISBN-13: 978-0872893337
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stress test for the American political system, April 14, 2007

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics, 2nd Edition (Public Affairs and Policy Administration Series) (Paperback)

Donald Kettl's thin but rich book, "System under Stress," examines homeland security and American politics. He begins by observing that most of us tend to think that things will be in the future as they were in the past, that the political system behaves in predictable ways. However, he goes on, shocks to the system raise intriguing and powerful questions. Specifically, how have the events of 9/11 affected American politics and governance?

He raises a series of key questions, such as: "But what happens to that system when a major shock shakes its foundations? What can such a profound upheaval tell us about the system's ability to respond? How does it help define the core truths and enduring principles that lie at the heart of American government? And how can we evaluate the system's response to better understand how it can adapt to the diverse challenges we are likely to face in the future?"

This volume explores a number of issues emerging from a consideration of such questions. What systemic failures led to the successful and devastating attacks on 9/11? What kind of coordination problems across government agencies need to be addressed/ What about the roles of state and local governments? How does the political system address the policy challenge of protection against threats that can never be fully eliminated? What about the balance between security and civil rights and liberties? How does a system, in short, respond to strain? Kettl uses a medical analogy: attacks like 9/11 serve as a kind of political "stress test" to diagnose what works and what does not work in the American political system.

This book is a well crafted analysis of such questions. Worth reading and worth thinking about. . . .

4.0 out of 5 stars VERY NEW, October 7, 2011

By 

Chris to the T - See all my reviews

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This review is from: System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics, 2nd Edition (Public Affairs and Policy Administration Series) (Paperback)

LOVE this book condition, its just what I was lookin for, no binds or anything done to it, just like NEW!!...SWEET!!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars System under stress, May 16, 2010

By 

Mr. R. K. Helliger "Robert Keith Helliger" (Narre Warren, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics, 2nd Edition (Public Affairs and Policy Administration Series) (Paperback)

Donald F. Kettl's 2007 Public Affairs book "System under Stress" is an excellent book that details President George Bush's failure during two major events: the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Kettl explains how these 'failures' created a 'stress test', (a test where Government, FEMA, and other emergency organizations in the USA, couldn't cope. And, as a result, let every American family down).

I highly recommend this confronting book to anyone who is interested (in the pre-Obama years), that deal with how Homeland Security works; how Government works; and how we deal with issues that affect our lives.

That's why I give the book five stars.

Robert Helliger,
Narre Warren, Melbourne, Victoria,
Australia.