Embassy of the United States

Government & Politics

Public Administration Archive

DHS AND IMMIGRATION: TAKING STOCK AND CORRECTING COURSE. Migration Policy Institute. February 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 127 pages]
The report assesses the performance of the three immigration agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), offering detailed recommendations for policy and operational changes that could be accomplished by the executive branch without legislation. It offers an assessment of immigration policy direction and coordination almost six years into the life of a young department with a vitally important national security mission.
[Note: contains copyrighted material]

OUTSOURCING POVERY: FEDERAL CONTRACTING PUSHES DOWN WAGES AND BENEFITS. Economic Policy Institute. Kathryn Edwards and Kai Filion. February 11, 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 7 pages]
Federal agencies have been under pressure to reduce the size of their workforce and cut costs, creating the incentive to outsource government work through contracts with private businesses for goods and services. The brief examines the wage and benefit standards in government and contracted work. The outsourcing of government work through federal contracts is often done in the name of cost-saving. However, much of this saving does not come from greater efficiency in provision, but from the willingness and ability of private contractors to push down wages and benefits for employees.
[Note: contains copyrighted material]

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Herbert, David AGENCIES STRUGGLING TO MAKE CONNECTIONS ONLINE (National Journal, February 2, 2009)
Available online
President Obama wants government agencies to be more transparent and communicate more with their audiences online. Many agencies have been using social-networking media long before Obama's directives, but with little success, the author says. Bureaucratic inefficiency and outdated and inflexible laws are partially to blame, Herbert writes, but "the biggest problem facing most agencies isn't the trap of outdated regulations but the failure to attract an audience." The article examines how web managers need to think about how to use Web 2.0 tools, not just to use them for the sake of using them. It also examines how the successful government social networking sites are the ones that allow an open discussion.

ENABLING HEALTHCARE REFORM USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND 111TH CONGRESSS. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. December 17, 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 45 pages]
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) shows a detailed report outlining specific priorities and recommendations for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress to harness Information Technology’s power to reform healthcare and stimulate the U.S. economy.
[Note: contains copyrighted material]

GOVERNMENT IN 3D: HOW PUBLIC LEADERS CAN DRAW ON VIRTUAL WORLDS. IBM Center for the Business of Government. David C. Wyld. November 15, 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 87 pages]
The report shows an example of how Web 2.0's "teen toys" have become a serious work tool. It explores how cutting-edge government organizations are using 3-dimensional virtual worlds on the Internet to conduct training, recruit new employees, and educate the public. It also provides a guide to how virtual worlds have become a fast-growing social phenomenon that believe that, by the end of 2011, fully 80 percent of all active internet users will be participating in 3-D virtual worlds.
[Note: contains copyrighted material]

THE OVAL OFFICE FACEBOOK GROUP – GOVERNMENT 2.0: THE PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION. Science Progress. Mark Drapeau. November 3, 2008.
Full Text [HTML format, various paging]
The report provides suggestions on how social software can work for the next administration.
[Note: contains copyrighted material]

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Jackson, Nancy Mann STATE OF BLOGGING (State Legislatures, Vol. 34, No. 5, May 2008, pp. 30-32)
Full text [HTML format]
Mann discusses state legislators’ use of blogs as a method of communication for their constituents. While some representatives get a lot of coverage in traditional media, others who are closer to metropolitan centers have a more difficult time getting exposure. Blogs provide an easy and cheap means of publicity and a new way for constituents to meet their elected officials. Blogs are also helping to create transparency in government; state legislators enjoy the opportunity to engage directly with constituents and let them know what is going on in the state capitol as it is happening. Research has shown that those who are involved in the online community are often civically engaged offline. While this is a relatively new technology, Dr. David Wyld, professor of management at Southeastern Louisiana University and author of “The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0,” says that this will be a feature constituents will come to expect from their elected officials in five to ten years. First Amendment activists are concerned, however, about the comments feature on these blogs. Some are worried that filtering inappropriate comments may infringe upon a public forum (state legislators’ blogs are often hosted on government Web sites).

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRANSITION TEAMS. Project on Government Oversight. Web posted October 20, 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 7 pages]
Project on Government Oversight’s advice includes making agency missions more modern and relevant, protecting inherently governmental functions, improving whistleblower protections, halting the revolving door between the government and the private sector, increasing government transparency, and implementing multiple measures to improve and strengthen contract oversight.
[Note: contains copyrighted material]

ADMINISTERING GREEN PROGRAMS IN CONGRESS: ISSUES AND OPTIONS. Congressional Research Service, RL34694, Library of Congress. Jacob R. Straus. Web posted November 1, 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 35 pages]
Programs to create an environmentally conscious workplace have long existed on Capitol Hill. Congress has been working to reduce consumption and conserve energy since the 1970s. Traditionally, these programs have been administered by the Architect of the Capitol. In recent Congresses, the House of Representatives and the Senate have created separate greening programs. In addition, the Architect of the Capitol has developed green programs for the Capitol Complex. In the 110th Congress, the Architect of the Capitol’s role in administering facilities-related programs on behalf of the Senate has remained unchanged. The Architect of the Capitol also administers greening programs for the Capitol Complex.

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Light, Paul A GOVERNMENT ILL EXECUTED: THE DEPLETION OF THE FEDERAL SERVICE (Public Administration Review, vol. 68, no. 3, May/June 2008, pp. 413-419)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

Alexander Hamilton in the Federal Papers described some of the pitfalls of a federal government that is "ill executed." After many surveys and years of studying the federal government, the author, professor at New York University, fears that federal government has become the ill-executed government Hamilton warned against. Light blames both Republican and Democratic administrations for "starving government." There is an ever-expanding mission, a steady thickening of the bureaucracy, a cumbersome political appointment and civil service hiring process, and a poor system of rewarding good performance and disciplining bad employees. College seniors now look to NGOs for meaningful work, not public service in the federal government. Light believes that the upcoming retirements of baby boomers presents an opportunity for reforming the federal service.

GRADING THE STATES '08: THE MANDATE TO MEASURE.
Pew Center on the States; Government Performance. Originally posted March 3, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 61 pages]

Information is king. No single idea emerges more clearly from year-long research done for the 2008 Government Performance Project. As always, this report focuses on four fundamental areas of government management: Information, People, Money and Infrastructure. But this year, the elements that make up the information category —planning, goal-setting, measuring performance, disseminating data and evaluating progress — overlap with the other three fields to a greater degree than ever before. Information elements, in short, are key to how a state takes care of its infrastructure, plans for its financial future and deals with the dramatic changes affecting the state workforce.

[Note: contains copyrighted material].

MODERNIZING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: PAYING FOR PERFORMANCE.
Silvia Montoya and John D. Graham. Occasional Paper, Pardee RAND Graduate School, RAND Corporation. December 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 56 pages]

This report examines the pay for performance plan in the federal government. The data are based on a literature review, demonstration projects, and current legislation.

The authors conclude that Congress should not prohibit or scale back pay for performance plans until current programs have been fully evaluated. Additionally, the next administration should establish a pay system that rewards outstanding performance and penalizes poor performance; encourage dialogue with employees and unions; and extend and evaluate pilot tests of new human resource systems.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

Peisner, Lynn THE UNITY MOVEMENT (American City & County, December 1, 2007 pgs 36-39)
Full Text [html format]

Governments seek strength by consolidating IT Departments. This article highlights some the benefits of imminent IT reform.

CRITICAL QUESTIONS: DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE, FISA, AND TERRORISM.
James Lewis. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). November 7, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 3 pages]

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

"The Bush administration entered office with the intent of restoring, in its view, executive branch authorities and presidential prerogatives." One of these actions was to give the National Security Agency authority to begin surveillance of electronic communications of U.S. citizens and residents without approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). This report provides background information on the FISC and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

IS THE BROKEN BRANCH ON THE MEND? AN EARLY REPORT ON THE 110TH CONGRESS. Sarah A. Binder, Thomas E. Mann and Molly Reynolds. Brookings Institution. Web posted September 4, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 21 pages]

This is the first of a series of reports that will assess Congressional performance from the Broken Branch on the Mend Project. The Democratic-controlled Congress recessed in August touting its accomplishments while the Republicans complained of its autocratic leadership. According to a recent Gallup poll, however, the public gave Congress only an 18% approval rating. Deep ideological differences remain between the two parties and a narrow majority in the House and Senate will frustrate Democratic ambitions, but the 110th Congress “bears little resemblance to its predecessor. Elections do make a difference.”

INFRASTRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION: WHERE NEXT? Charles Kenny. Policy Research Working Paper, Sustainable Development Network, Finance, Economics and Urban Division, World Bank. Web posted August 27, 2007.
Full Text: [May need to copy & paste URL]

“This paper looks at what has been learned about the role of governance in infrastructure, provides some recent examples of reform efforts and project approaches, and suggests an agenda for greater engagement—primarily at the sector level—to improve governance and reduce the development impact of corruption.” The paper discusses market structure, regulation, state-owned enterprise reform, planning and budgeting, and project design.

BRAZIL’S INNOVATION CHALLENGE. Alan M. Wright. Brazil Institute and the Program on Science, Technology, America, and the Global Economy, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. August 2007.
Full Text: [pdf format, 6 pages]

Brazilian companies’ technological and managerial innovations have brought new challenges to the country’s policymakers. This briefing summarizes a recent conference where a panel of experts discussed how public policies, governmental institutions, and new intellectual property rights could affect efficacy and innovation throughout Brazil’s economy. The experts also analyzed the “dynamics of knowledge-based business models and the role of capital markets in advancing innovation-driven development strategies.” Further discussions are scheduled for this fall.

STATE DEPARTMENT: STAFFING AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE SHORTFALLS PERSIST DESPITE INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS GAPS: TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT OF GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT, THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS. Statement of Jess Ford, Director International Affairs and Trade, U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO). Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate. August 1, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 22 pages]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has previously reported on the staffing shortages in the Department of State (State). These shortages have hampered State’s ability to carry out its foreign policy priorities and objectives. In 2002, State implemented the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative (DRI). Mr. Ford’s testimony addresses the progress that State has made concerning this initiative.

MANAGING SECRETARY RICE’S STATE DEPARTMENT: AN INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT: TASK FORCE REPORT. Foreign Affairs Council. Web posted June 5, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 36 pages]

“Between 2001 and 2005, 1,069 new positions and significant program funding increases were obtained through the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative (DRI). Since then, all of these

positions/people have been absorbed by assignments to Iraq, Afghanistan and other difficult posts. Today, some 200 existing jobs--most overseas--are unfilled and the additional 900 training slots necessary to provide essential linguistic and functional skills do not exist.”

“In the first two years of Secretary Rice's stewardship almost no net new resources have been realized. “Job One” for State Department management is to obtain the 1,100 new positions needed to move the Foreign Service from where it is to where it needs to be in the context of Secretary Rice’s highest priority--her signature “Transformational Diplomacy” initiative. Achieving this objective will require the aggressive and sustained personal involvement of both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, both within administration councils and with Congress. They will have the Foreign Affairs Council’s support.”

INFRASTRUCTURE 2007: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE. Jonathan D. Miller. Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young. May 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 69 pages]

By 2008, one half of the world’s population will live in cities. With the increase in population and the decrease in public funds, urban infrastructure has emerged as a major concern; but it is also seen as a new investment venue for urban income and capital returns.

This report is based on wide research and four forums of experts in the field of development, design, finance, engineering, and the public sector. The forums highlighted the current state of infrastructure repair and maintenance. New financing vehicles were also examined.

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Walters, Jonathan. POLLING THE POPULACE
(Governing, Vol. 20, No. 7, April 2007, pp. 66-68)
Full text [html format]

Local officials are surveying their citizens to learn of preferences in services, priorities in new programs, and indicators of performance. Whether the survey is by mail or phone, or face-to-face in a focus group, the information gathered from these selected respondents is considered more reliable than that obtained from comments at public hearings or on web sites. Officials and administrators are using the information to make local government more responsive to citizen needs. One survey administrator commented that the information “helps frame the debate, and it helps you stay vigilant about doing the right thing and being responsive.” The author cites the case of city officials in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, who made budget decisions that contradicted survey findings; the public turmoil that ensued led the mayor and several other officials to forgo reelection.

LEADING THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH: STRATEGIES AND OPTIONS FOR ACHIEVING SUCCESS.
Elizabeth D. Brown and John D. Graham. Occasional Paper, Pardee RAND Graduate School, RAND Corporation. Web posted March 1, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 48 pages]

One of the first challenges of a new president is to exercise control and leadership over the executive branch which includes all departments and agencies. In past administrations, presidents have gained control over policymaking by shifting power from departments and agencies and centralizing it in the White House. The authors argue that by doing this, the White House staff insulates the president from knowledge and experience in those departments and agencies.

The National Commission on the Public Service (known as the Volcker Commission) suggested a comprehensive reorganization of the executive branch by reducing the number of cabinet secretaries and “rationalizing the missions of each agency.” The authors assert that this type of reorganization would be “controversial and difficult to implement and should be initiated early in a president’s first term in order to have any realistic chance of congressional cooperation.”

PRIORITY OR AFTERTHOUGHT? CHILDREN AND THE FEDERAL BUDGET.
Julia Isaacs and Phillip Lovell. First Focus and The Brookings Institution. March 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 12 pages]

“A country’s priorities are reflected in its budget.” The federal expenditures on children have not increased as rapidly as other major entitlements. Federal domestic expenditures on children have fallen from 20.1 percent to 15.4 percent between 1960 and 2006. During that same period, spending on children’s programs increased from 1.9 percent to 2.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), but the non-child portion of GDP went from 2.0 percent to 7.6 percent. “For spending on children to expand, Congress must make a conscious effort to either put new resources into existing programs, or create new programs altogether.”

BREAKING POINT: MEASURING PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN.
Seema Patel and Steven Ross. Post Conflict Reconstruction (PCR) Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). February 23, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 118 pages]

This study is a follow-up to the 2005 report In the Balance: Measuring Progress in Afghanistan. The conclusions of this study are based on 1,000 structured conversations in half of Afghanistan’s provinces, 13 surveys, polls, focus groups, and 200 expert interviews. 70 media sources and 182 organizations were also monitored. The report’s primary findings are:

• Afghans are losing trust in the government because of an escalation in violence
• Public expectations are neither being met nor managed
• Conditions in Afghanistan have deteriorated in all key areas targeted for development, except for the economy and women’s rights.”

HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA DISASTER RELIEF: CONTINUED FINDINGS OF FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE. General Accountability Office. December 6, 2006.
Full Text [pdf format, 19 pages]

Due to improper and/or fraudulent payments to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continued to lose tens of millions of dollars. FEMA paid duplicate payments to thousands of individuals who claimed damages from both hurricanes on the same property; as well as paid fraudulent or improper payments to ineligible recipients and non-U.S. residents. The General Accountability Office (GAO) report emphasized that the implementation of an effective fraud, waste, and abuse prevention system is imperative.

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Peisner, Lynn THE BIG EXPERIMENT
(American City & County, vol. 121, no. 12, November 2006, pp. 2-5)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

Seeking "fiscal restraint and accountability," the community of Sandy Springs in Fulton County, Georgia, broke away from the county government. The residents of Sandy Springs, which has sought incorporation since 1975, were dissatisfied with the lack of services and resources compared to their tax payments. When the Republicans gained a majority in the state General Assembly in 2004, a referendum to break away from the county was granted. In June 2005, Sandy Springs became independent -- but in need of system to run the city. With the exception of police and emergency services, a Colorado-based firm was selected to run the city as a result of a bidding process. The quality and turnaround time on services provided by the city manager exceeded performance under the county government. Impressed by the satisfaction and the savings, other communities are also seeking incorporation.

PRESIDENT'S MANAGEMENT AGENDA: REVIEW OF [OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET'S] OMB'S IMPROVED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE SCORECARD PROCESS.
United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). November 16, 2006.
Full report [pdf format, 29 pages]

In August 2001, the Bush administration launched the President's Management Agenda (PMA) with the purpose of focusing attention on ensuring that the resources entrusted to the federal government are well managed and wisely used. The PMA targets five management initiatives: 1) strategic management of human capital; 2) competitive sourcing; 3) improved financial performance; 4) expanded electronic government and: 5) budget and performance integration. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) developed criteria to measure success and a PMA scorecard to track agency progress for each of the five initiatives. The scorecard uses a traffic light grading system to indicate both the agencies' current status in achieving the PMA goals and the periodic progress made by agencies for each of the five initiatives -"green" indicates success, "yellow" indicates mixed results, and "red" indicates unsatisfactory results.

For this report GAO 1) studied and evaluated OMB's process and criteria for awarding a green score for current status and progress and 2) provides examples of how agency managers use financial data to better manage on a day-to-day basis. To help ensure consistency and continuity in the scoring process over time and as the staff changes, GAO recommends that the Director of OMB direct the Office of Federal Financial Management to take the following two actions:

• establish a process to more systematically document the basis for all key decisions and judgments made in determining agency green scores, and
• establish a process to document the receipt and review and approval of Green Plans, including updates used in the scoring process.

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Roth, Zachary INVESTI-GATE: WHAT'S REALLY AT STAKE IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS (Washington Monthly, Vol. 38, No. 6, June 2006, pp. 31-35)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

Roth, an editor at Washington Monthly, argues that the current Republican-held Congress has abandoned the tradition of bipartisan congressional oversight. In the run-up to the midterm elections Republican committee chairs are "[keeping] a lid on investigations." Roth points to recent hearings on domestic wiretapping and Hurricane Katrina as situations where Republican chairs failed to subpoena the White House and the Justice Department, leading to paltry investigations. This is a historic break for Congress, which has traditionally investigated the White House regardless of who held the majority on Capitol Hill. Roth writes that proper investigations are needed to keep government honest, to uncover real mistakes and move the country forward.

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O'Connell, Kim MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: ATLANTA MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN COMBINES 1960S-STYLE POPULISM WITH 21ST-CENTURY BUSINESS SAVVY (American City & County, Vol. 120, No. 13, December 2005, pp. 22-28)
View article on the publisher's web site

Shirley Franklin, the first African-American woman to lead a major Southern city (Atlanta, Georgia), came into the office on the heel of a predecessor whose term ended in political and financial scandal and an $82 million budget deficit. To restore public trust in city government, she instituted an ethics code for all municipal employees and reduced funding for bloated programs, while reinvesting in understaffed and underfunded areas. The author notes that "she's not afraid of telling people what they don't want to hear"; Franklin declared herself the "sewer mayor" to deal with Atlanta's century-old sewer system. Franklin's second-term agenda centers on education, eradicating homelessness, economic development, and reminding friends and foes alike that "sometimes what we need is the flexibility to give people what they need."

VIDEO NEWS RELEASES: UNATTRIBUTED PREPACKAGED NEWS STORIES VIOLATE PUBLICITY OR PROPAGANDA PROHIBITION. TESTIMONY OF SUSAN A. POLING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, U.S. SENATE. [GAO-05-643T]
United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). May 12, 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 12 pages]

In recent years, federal agencies have been increasing their use of video news releases (VNRs), which frequently include prepackaged news stories. While the use of VNRs is widespread and widely known by those in the media industry, the quality and content of materials considered to constitute a VNR can vary greatly. Generally, a VNR package may contain several items, including a series of video clips, known as B-roll footage; title cards containing relevant information, known as slates; a prepackaged news story, referred to as a story package; and other promotional materials. These materials are produced in the same manner as television news organizations produce materials for their own news segments. The prepackaged news stories are distributed to local television news stations and are designed to resemble actual news stories. By eliminating the costs and effort of producing an original news story, agencies can find news stations willing to broadcast a favorable news segment on a desired topic. GAO examined prepackaged news stories produced by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of National Drug Control Policy and evaluated whether these materials constituted covert propaganda in violation of the prohibition on using appropriated funds for publicity and propaganda not authorized by Congress.

This following states the position of the General Counsel of GAO: "While agencies generally have the right to disseminate information about their policies and activities, agencies may not use appropriated funds to produce or distribute prepackaged news stories intended to be viewed by television audiences that conceal or do not clearly identify for the television viewing audience that the agency was the source of those materials. It is not enough that the contents of an agency's communication may be unobjectionable. Neither is it enough for an agency to identify itself to the broadcasting organization as the source of the prepackaged news story.

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Munro, Neil DOING GOOD, DOING WELL (National Journal, Vol. 37, No. 17, April 23, 2005, pp. 1226-1230)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

Munro, a National Journal staff writer, describes the government program that steers contracts to government-approved contractors using disabled workers for at least 75 percent of the hands-on labor. The program has grown to sales of over USD 205 billion and hires over 45,000 blind and disabled workers who might not have been able to find employment on their own. Critics of the program are asking for reforms and accountability, though one thinks that changes will be difficult to legislate because no congressman wants to be portrayed as a hard-hearted opponent of work for the disabled. Reform might "improve the program so that it works more for the disabled and less for people trying to profit from it," says one critic.

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Greenberg, Gary THE CONDEMNED (Mother Jones, vol. 30, no. 1, January/February 2005, pp. 42-49)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

State and local governments in the U.S., as well as the federal government, have long used the law of eminent domain to take property for the "public good," such as building roads and schools, and reimburse the owners for fair market value. Governments have also taken land on behalf of private interests -- the U.S. relied heavily on condemnations to build the railroad industry in the nineteenth century, since it was deemed a valuable industry for economic development. In recent decades, however, state and local governments have increasingly used the power of eminent domain to condemn neighborhoods deemed blighted or run-down, to lease to private companies for "upscale" commercial or residential development, to bolster tax revenues. The author describes the growing controversy over the use of eminent domain for private interests, and provides a chronology of court cases. The issue has culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court case in February over a proposed development in New London, Connecticut, in which several homeowners have refused to sell to the city to make way for commercial construction; a decision will be made in July.