Jonathan Alter: How to Make Government Work Again

In the first two years of his presidency, Joe Biden added trillions in public investment. Most of it — like tax credits for clean energy — requires no additional bureaucracy. But much of it will stress the federal, state and local agencies assigned to administer the new spending without wasting money. As the pig moves through the python, I asked Philip K. Howard — whom I first met in the 1980s — to ruminate about his provocative views on public policy. Phil is a New York lawyer, author and original thinker whose new book, Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions, is making waves. We talk here about how to make government work better in the face of entrenched interest groups, especially teachers unions and other government employee unions. You may not agree with all of Phil’s policy prescriptions (I don’t), but his provocative take might just change how you view government.

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