It’s time to rethink the role of public employee unions in democratic governance. Public union intransigence has contributed to two of the most socially destructive events in the COVID-19 era. Rebuilding the economy after the pandemic ends also will be more difficult if state and local governments have to abide by featherbedding and other artificial union mandates.
Read MorePublic unions have erected an impenetrable barrier to good government. Collective bargaining agreements have destroyed accountability and bar common sense in running government. But what can we do about it? Union political power and long-term contracts prevent democratically-elected officials from making government work.
Read MoreThe University of Pennsylvania Law School's Program on Regulation hosted a discussion on the priorities and challenges for the new administration and how reforming government operations can build back the public trust.
Read MorePresident Biden's theme of unity is hopeful and necessary. Most Americans are exhausted by identity politics and polarization. But what change is needed to bring Americans together again, and to reclaim shared values of individual and community responsibility?
Philip K. Howard is not surprised. He is a lawyer who thinks there are too many lawyers and too much law, and that both surpluses are encouraged by misbegotten ideas about ideal governance. One such idea is that ideal governance is a sensible aspiration. In the Yale Law Journal (“From Progressivism to Paralysis”), he explains why “Covid-19 is the canary in the bureaucratic mine.”
Read MoreSenator Angus King from Maine, in a 60 Minutes interview this week, talked about the importance of being an Independent in a divided Senate. The parties are divided into "distrustful, armed camps," where practical solutions are almost impossible because you "can't give the other side a victory."
Read MoreThe Biden administration can reverse this dangerous decline of trust by launching an independent commission to report on why government performs so poorly. By focusing on public operating systems, the commission could address broad discontent in ways that transcend party lines.
Read MoreThe most compelling political statements today are those that focus on mutual respect and factual truth. But why does such a large group of Americans feel so alienated that they abandon basic civilized values?
Read MoreThe Progressive Movement succeeded in replacing laissez-faire with public oversight of safety and markets. But its vision of neutral administration, in which officials in lab coats mechanically applied law, never reflected the realities and political tradeoffs in most public choices. The result, after fifty years, is public paralysis. In an effort to avoid bad public choices, the operating system precludes good public choices. It must be rebuilt to honor human agency and reinvigorate democratic choices.
Read MorePhilip Howard calls on the incoming Biden administration to improve public agencies, schools and hospitals by reducing cumbersome red tape.
Read MorePhilip Howard joins the GovExec podcast to discuss how the incoming administration can reconfigure bureaucracy for better government.
Read More“America is deeply divided”: That’s the post-mortem wisdom from this year’s election. Surveys repeatedly show, however, that most Americans share the same core values and goals, such as responsibility, accountability, and fairness. One issue that enjoys overwhelming popular support is the need to fix broken government.
Read MoreThe nonpartisan Campaign for Common Good called today on President-Elect Joe Biden to create a special commission to make proposals on how to make government work better.
Read MoreWith a new president preparing to take office amid a divided populace, lawyer and noted author Philip K. Howard believes there is an opportunity to unite Americans around a common goal: building a smarter, leaner government.
Read MoreFor 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.
Read MoreIn the wake of a new analysis showing the extraordinary growth in administrators in America’s school districts, Philip K. Howard, Chair of the Campaign for Common Good, called today on governments at all levels to cut red tape in schools and free up resources amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreSomething vital is missing in the presidential debate so far: Neither candidate has a vision on how to make government work better.
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