Philip Howard

In a crowded, interdependent society with a global economy, government is more important, not less important. And so what we need to do is to remake it on a vision that allows government to work, that allows government to be responsive. And that requires simplifying it and rehumanizing it and moving forward in a way that gives us all a sense that we're invested in our own future.

In a crowded, interdependent society with a global economy, government is more important, not less important. And so what we need to do is to remake it on a vision that allows government to work, that allows government to be responsive. And that requires simplifying it and rehumanizing it and moving forward in a way that gives us all a sense that we're invested in our own future.

Bad schools, unaccountable police, and other endemic failures of modern American government share one defining trait. They are impervious to reform. No matter who is elected, no matter the voter demand for change, government almost never changes how it works. The effects are predictable.

Bad schools, unaccountable police, and other endemic failures of modern American government share one defining trait. They are impervious to reform. No matter who is elected, no matter the voter demand for change, government almost never changes how it works. The effects are predictable.

Growing citizen frustration and anger, broad distrust of police and other governing institutions, students ill-equipped to compete and even to be self-sufficient, and stupendous public inefficiency and waste.

Growing citizen frustration and anger, broad distrust of police and other governing institutions, students ill-equipped to compete and even to be self-sufficient, and stupendous public inefficiency and waste.

Because the union collective bargaining agreement in Minneapolis, as in most places, severely restricts public managers from reassigning personnel or disciplining personnel or changing their responsibilities. And in Minneapolis, I think there had been, well, he had a history of complaints.

Because the union collective bargaining agreement in Minneapolis, as in most places, severely restricts public managers from reassigning personnel or disciplining personnel or changing their responsibilities. And in Minneapolis, I think there had been, well, he had a history of complaints.

But in Minneapolis, more broadly, there had been, I think, in the prior decade, something like 2,600 complaints of police misconduct, of which a grand total of 12 led to discipline. And the most severe discipline was a 40-hour suspension. So you basically have a government system that's completely unaccountable.

But in Minneapolis, more broadly, there had been, I think, in the prior decade, something like 2,600 complaints of police misconduct, of which a grand total of 12 led to discipline. And the most severe discipline was a 40-hour suspension. So you basically have a government system that's completely unaccountable.

Yeah, pretty much. It varies a little bit by state. But for example, there was an 18-year study in Illinois of teacher accountability that found that an average of two teachers out of 95,000 were terminated for performance each year. That's basically zero. That's actually twice the rate as in California. So there's no accountability.

Yeah, pretty much. It varies a little bit by state. But for example, there was an 18-year study in Illinois of teacher accountability that found that an average of two teachers out of 95,000 were terminated for performance each year. That's basically zero. That's actually twice the rate as in California. So there's no accountability.

And the harm of no accountability is much worse than having bad people on the job, which is bad enough. The harm is that when everyone knows performance doesn't matter, it's almost impossible to have a healthy culture within an institution because there's no mutual trust that everybody's doing their share because everybody knows performance doesn't matter.

And the harm of no accountability is much worse than having bad people on the job, which is bad enough. The harm is that when everyone knows performance doesn't matter, it's almost impossible to have a healthy culture within an institution because there's no mutual trust that everybody's doing their share because everybody knows performance doesn't matter.

Government was never efficient, right? It's a government. So it lacks those sort of market pressures of business organization. But until the late 1960s, the rule was that public employees could not collectively bargain. FDR was a firm opponent of collective bargaining. In part, because it was a breach of duty of loyalty.

Government was never efficient, right? It's a government. So it lacks those sort of market pressures of business organization. But until the late 1960s, the rule was that public employees could not collectively bargain. FDR was a firm opponent of collective bargaining. In part, because it was a breach of duty of loyalty.

And in part, it was because the dynamics of public bargaining are very different than trade bargaining. In a business context, if the union demands too much, everybody loses their job. because the business goes out of business or moves to another town or sends the jobs offshore, as happened to Detroit with demanding too much back when. So government doesn't work that way.

And in part, it was because the dynamics of public bargaining are very different than trade bargaining. In a business context, if the union demands too much, everybody loses their job. because the business goes out of business or moves to another town or sends the jobs offshore, as happened to Detroit with demanding too much back when. So government doesn't work that way.

You can demand all you want, and government can't go out of business. Nor can it move out of town. So what's happened is that almost without anybody really paying attention, the public unions levered the rights revolution in the 1960s into a kind of a plea of fairness. Why can't we have collective bargaining too? 38 states gave it to them.

You can demand all you want, and government can't go out of business. Nor can it move out of town. So what's happened is that almost without anybody really paying attention, the public unions levered the rights revolution in the 1960s into a kind of a plea of fairness. Why can't we have collective bargaining too? 38 states gave it to them.