In the April 2009 (22.2) issue of Governance, read the first of a set of short essays commissioned by the editors on challenges confronting President Obama. (More will be published in the July issue.) Andrew Rudalevige of Dickinson College considers how the task of giving advice to the President is best organized, and explores the “well-established principle that presidents should institutionalize distrust.” Next, Eric K. Stern of the Swedish National Defense College offers “Lessons from History for the Crisis Manager in Chief.” His crisis management framework offers a way to avoid common pitfalls of crisis management. And as the Obama administration increases science spending, John Howard (former Director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) considers how governmental research organizations can overcome “strong in-built tendencies” that threaten organizational performance. Co-editor Michael Barzelay says that these “compact, accessible” essays reflect the journal’s tradition of promoting theoretical and practical discussion on problems of governance.
Archive for March, 2009
In the April 2009 issue of Governance: Advice for Obama
Published March 19, 2009 Current issue Leave a CommentTags: crisis management, Obama, Presidency, strategic management
Quotes from January 2009 issue of Governance: corruption, World Bank-sponsored reform
Published March 11, 2009 Quotes Leave a CommentTags: corruption, financial management, money laundering, procurement, World Bank
J.C. Sharman and David Chaikin on Corruption and Anti-Money-Laundering Systems: “Developing countries are sorely afflicted by corruption and yet are failing to capitalize on the investment they have made in anti-money-laundering systems that could assist in countering corruption . . . AML systems are seen as a totem with which to impress outside audiences rather than a tool to tackle pressing local problems.”
Clay Wescott on World Bank Support for Public Financial Management and Procurement: “Much of the actual reform was incremental, based on targets of opportunity rather a coherent strategy, even with the most ambitious Anglo-Saxon reformers. There was a gap between the promise of new announcements and initiatives on the one hand, and the actual delivery of reforms on the other. There is little evidence that the considerable cost of the reforms is justified by the benefits achieved.”
Twenty years ago in Governance: “The Irish economy is a mess”
Published March 7, 2009 Twenty years ago Leave a CommentTags: economy, European Union, financial crisis, Ireland
“The Irish economy, quite simply, is a mess,” Anthony G. Cahill wrote in the April 1989 issue of Governance. In his overview of Ireland’s economy and politics, Cahill speculates about the likely impact of the country’s integration into the European common market. His skepticism about the country’s ability to transform its political economy initially seemed to be refuted by a period of rapid growth that caused many to call Ireland the “Celtic Tiger.” But the years of optimism are over. As the Irish Times editorialized in January 2009: “We have gone from the Celtic Tiger to an era of financial fear with the suddenness of a Titanic-style shipwreck, thrown from comfort, even luxury, into a cold sea of uncertainty.” Read Cahill’s article — Ireland looks toward 1992 (but remembers 1948, 1916, 1798, 1782, and 1688) (2.2, pages 213-220) — in the Governance archives.
