Paul Krugman
I suppose it's nice that Paul Krugman gave a shout-out to the concept of good government in his column today, but I wish he'd spent a bit more time talking about what is actually needed to make good government happen, and cut the paragraph ragging on the Obamas for choosing a nice Christmas rental house. I have no problem with people calling politicians out for hypocrisy, for cautioning against pork in bills that must be targeted carefully, or whatever. But Krugman could have done his readers a better service by explaining the lack of oversight in the bailout so far, and precisely why such oversight is important, with examples.
Instead, he tosses about references to whistleblower rights and explains "goo-goo" as a nickname, and doesn't say anything in particular. My sense is that voters know that they want government to deliver more to them, and to deliver it better, but they don't have a terrific sense of what policies and procedures make that kind of service delivery possible. Explaining those inner workings in detail would have been helpful.
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Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.
Granted, Paul Krugman' latest column wasn't his finest. Maybe he's still experiencing jet lag from the Nobel Prize ceremony in Sweden. However, instead of saying how disappointed GovExec is in Paul's diagnosis of what ails the Federal bureaucracy, wouldn't it be great if Government Executive Magazine -- you know the supposed experts in government management -- occasionally take an advocacy role for the agencies and identify budget and personnel resources needed to provide for adequate agency performance. Those who live in glass houses...
Bea N. Example Posted Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:49 PMAlyssa - your comment "My sense is that voters know that they want government to deliver more to them, and to deliver it better, but they don't have a terrific sense of what policies and procedures make that kind of service delivery possible" struck a chord in me that is not related to the topic of Krugman. One of the problems with trying to run the Government more like a business is that people forget that the purpose of business is a bottom line whereas the purpose of Government is to protect the interests of the taxpayers. Therefore, some initiatives (like NSPS, MaxHR, etc.) actually have the wrong focus. We have to find a way to highlight the fact that Government has a mission rather than a bottom line and we have to have ways to support people who run afoul of the system because they are focused on the taxpayer and not on fealty to their boss.
What's My Job Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009 8:05 AM