What Government Does How Political Executives Manage [Hardcover]

[T]his [is an] important and admirably well-crafted volume. Every American has a stake in what government does and how political executives manage; few Americans, however, have enough of an interest to read through a granular-level, interview-based book on the subject. But more of us should, and I would be delighted . . . to see this fine book top the best-seller lists. . . .With every new administration over the years to come there will be a fresh crop of political executives in dire needwhether they know it or notof the lessons, cautionary tales, and pep talks from their predecessors assembled here. The rest of us can treasure it now as a reminder of how exquisitely important these jobs are; how lucky we are to have such talented, patriotic people taking up these brutally hard and often thankless tasks; and what a pickle we will be in if public leaders of this caliber ever stop raising their hands to do the difficult work on which our welfare depends.In this book, Paul Lawrence and Mark Abramson build on their extensive interviews with 42 Obama Administration political executives over the past four years. Political executives from numerous federal agencies were interviewed about the challenge of managing in government and the activities undertaken by their agencies.To understand the challenges of political leadership and how top executivessucceed in accomplishing an Administrations objectives, business-in-governmentexperts Paul R. Lawrence and Mark A. Abramson present the findingsof a four-year study of top political appointees in the Obama Administration.The 42 participantsDeputy Secretaries and agency headsprovide casestudies of how each approaches the management challenges and achievesthe mission of their organization.Full of behind-the-scenes insights and practical advice from government politicalexecutives on how they face management challenges in real time, WhatGovernment Does: How Political Executives Manage offers indispensable insightsto current and lso