Cambridge University Press Valuing Bureaucracy: The Case for Professional Government

To be effective, government must be run by professional managers. When decisions that should be taken by government officials are delegated to private contractors without adequate oversight, the public interest is jeopardized. Verkuil uses his inside perspectives on government performance and accountability to examine the tendencies at both the federal and state levels to 'deprofessionalize' government. Viewing the turn to contractors and private sector solutions in ideological and functional terms, he acknowledges that the problem cannot be solved without meaningful civil service reforms that make it easier to hire, incent and, where necessary, fire career employees and officials. The indispensable goal is to revitalize bureaucracy so it can continue to competently deliver essential services. By highlighting the leadership that already exists in the career ranks, Verkuil senses a willingness, or even eagerness, to make government, like America, great again. Review 'Paul R. Verkuil is one of the most knowledgeable observers of American government, and understands better than anyone the reasons why it appears to be so ineffective to many Americans. This book points directly to the underlying problem of government outsourcing, and to some possible solutions.' Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, Stanford University, California'Paul R. Verkuil knows how government works inside and out, from his own service to his many roles studying and analyzing policy and process. This deep and insightful book is concrete and deep, using real life examples of government successes and failures, along with the folly of outsourcing and privatization, to make the case for how and why professional government saves and improves lives. At a time when professional experience in government is widely disdained, Valuing Bureaucracy is a vital corrective.' Norman Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC'This isn't an easy time to make the powerful, impassioned, and important argument of Paul R. Verkuil's book. But that makes it all the more important that his message gets through. Government bureaucracy does an enormous number of important things that we value - and that we miss when they aren't done well. In this lively and engaging book, Verkuil makes the inescapable point that we need and want much of what government does - and that even a smaller government requires a government that's even more professional. There's no more important time for us to hear the message that Verkuil's invaluable experience teaches.' Donald F. Kettl, University of Maryland, College Park'Marshalling years of experience as a visionary scholar, lawyer, and public servant, Paul R. Verkuil has done it again. Verkuil's perfectly timed study of bureaucratic professionalism exposes the moral and practical bankruptcy of contemporary anti-government rhetoric and corresponding initiatives. And it presents a persuasive case and a clear blueprint for recommitting ourselves to dynamic, innovative, and highly effective public administration. Valuing Bureaucracy is a must read for government officials, legal scholars, students of politics and government, and anyone else seeking, in Verkuil's words, to 'make government great again'.' Jon D. Michaels, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law'Government is under siege - at the federal, state and local levels. Valuing Bureaucracy brings an invaluable and comprehensible perspective on how to restructure and defend the public sector. Drawing on current events, academic research and his own recent experience as Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States, Paul R. Verkuil convincingly evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of government agencies and private alternatives, and offers cogent reforms. No side escapes scrutiny. In his search for more 'A players' In the federal government, Verkuil takes on the veterans' preference and rigidity in the Office of