High-Performance Government: Structure, Leadership, Incentives

Low-performance government provides too little service for too much money. Breakdown is a serious risk. This is the stark message of the Volcker Commission report, which leads off High-Performance Government with a devastating nonpartisan indictment of public service in America. The commission recommends restructuring government by mission, selecting and developing better leaders, and creating agile, performance-driven public service. The rest of High-Performance Government explores the possibilities and limitations of these recommendations, with practical guidance based on years of research at the RAND Corporation. Chapters address headline issues ranging from reorganizing our national security system to creating performance-driven schools, from foreign aid to welfare reform, from public-private partnerships to the ’deep uncertainties’ of problems such as terrorism.

Robert Klitgaard is dean and Ford Distinguished Professor of International Development and Security at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His books include Controlling Corruption and Choosing Elites. Paul C. Light is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at New York University. He was the Founding Director of the Center for Public Service at the Brookings Institution and Senior Adviser to the Volcker Commission. Light is the author of several books, including The Four Pillars Of High Performance: How Robust Organizations Achieve Extraordinary Results and Government’s Greatest Achievements: From Civil Rights to Homeland Security .