For decades, Paul Volcker and other good government reformers called for overhauling federal civil service. Good candidates are repelled by rigid hiring protocols, by red tape management, and by the inability to get rid of poor performers. But almost no one paid attention.

It's too bad the town hall events last night did not elicit the candidates' visions for making government work better. So far the debates, including in the primary, have covered only the hot-button issues in the news. (See here for a compendium of last night's questions).

The quickest way to get America moving is to clear out the bureaucratic jungle that has grown over the past five decades. Here are three reasons why people should care.

The presidential debate tonight will likely illuminate many differences between the candidates. But most voters have already made up their minds. How do the candidates attract the voters who are undecided? As in the 2016 election, a small percentage of voters in a few key states could swing the election.

America’s pathetic performance in dealing with COVID-19 is due to sluggish public institutions, not just the poor leadership of President Trump, authors John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge argued in a spirited discussion yesterday with columnist Megan McArdle and political scientist Francis Fukuyama.

America's efforts at dealing with COVID-19 have been much less effective than Germany, Denmark, and New Zealand, let alone Asian countries such as South Korea. What accounts for the differences?