Workways of governance : monitoring our government's health / Roger H. Davidson, editor.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Davidson, Roger H.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Administrative agencies--United States--Evaluation.

Administrative agencies.

Courts--United States--Evaluation.

Courts.

United States. Congress--Evaluation.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (191 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Governance Institute : Brookings Institution Press, c2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A Brookings Institution Press and Governance Institute publication The war on terrorism has raised profound questions of domestic governance--not primarily about power or policy, but about the capacities of government agencies, their personnel, procedures, work habits and styles, and ability to interface with each other. These are the "workways of governance." As the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, made very clear, shortcomings and defects in the workways of governance are all too often manifested only in times of crisis or scandal--after the damage is done. How much better it would be to design for government a version of the periodic physical examination, where tests of various types, together with the physician's observations and the patient's own testimony, combine to help define the patient's status and prospects. The Workways of Governance project, sponsored by the Governance Institute, was begun in 1997 in response to a growing concern that institutions of national government have evolved into structures and developed procedures and customs that constrain their workers and hamper their collective effectiveness. A unique feature of the project is the development of a periodic review of the quality of institutional life and work in government. Guidelines for evaluating and monitoring governmental entities will be established, and implemented annually or biennially. The resulting reports consist of both objectively measured data and subjective evaluation, with the ultimate aim of generating positive change toward improving the capacity of government. In this first volume of analysis arising from the Workways of Governance project, contributors apply these general guidelines to evaluate the leading institutions of the federal government, as listed in the first three articles of the Constitution: the House of

Representatives, the Senate, the presidency (focusing on White House organization and staffing), the executive branch (focusing on the civil service), and the federal judiciary.

Contents:

Front Cover

Title Page

Copyright Information

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Toward Regular Assessment of National Governmental Institutions

The House of Representatives: Managing Legislative Complexity

The Senate: Does It Deliberate? Can It Act?

The President's Advisory System: Its Capacity for Governance

Measuring the Health of the Federal Public Service

Toward Optimal Judicial Workways

Conclusion: How Do We Get There from Here?

Appendix A: An Institutional Checkup for the House of Representatives

Appendix B: An Institutional Checkup for the Senate

Appendix C: Perceived Obstacles to Performance: Judges' Questionnaire and Responses

Contributors

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780815717546

0815717547

OCLC:

53706039