BecomingaBetterManager

Howpublicsectorleaderscanbuildtheworkforceandprogramstodeliverforcitizens.

SEPTEMBER2018

Contents

INTRODUCTION

WorktheSystem/pg.

4

CHAPTER1

GetMillennialsIntoGovernment/pg.

5

CHAPTER2

LinkProgramCost,PerformanceandImpact/pg.

7

CHAPTER3

BuildStrategicPlansAroundEvidence/pg.

9

CHAPTER4

Don’tLetOrganizationalSilosStifleInnovation/pg.1

1

CHAPTER5

Confront‘FakeNews’/pg.1

3

Cover:gradyreese,

Right:USCapitol,

PAGE4

ThomasVogelvia

INTRODUCTION

WorktheSystem

Tnlkfletieciie

chancetomakeapositivedifferenceinthelivesofothers,thatmotivatesmany

publicservants.Butanyonewhohasspenttimeingovernmentatanylevelknows

howdifficultgovernmentworkcanbe,especiallyforthosewithmanagementand

executiveresponsibilities.Thechallengesofnavigatingbyzantinerules,conflicting

stakeholderinterestsandaskepticalpubliccanweardownthemostcommitted.

“Bureaucracy”isn’tapejorativetermbyaccident,anditcanstymiethosewithin

governmentasmuchasthoseinteractingwithgovernment.Inthefollowingpages,

leadingexpertsandacademicsoffersomepracticaladviceforthosemanagers

workinghardatworkworthdoing.

PAGE5

CHAPTER1

GetMillennialsintoGovernment

Putthemostsocially-

mindedgenerationtoworkonprogramsthatmatter.

BYKRISTREMAINEAND

JEFFREYNEAL

M

illennialsremainoneofthemostsocially-mindedgenerationsofAmericas.Still,their

presenceingovernment—aninstitutionthatatitscoreisdesignedtopromotethegeneralwelfare—

lagsfarbehindtheprivatesector.Critically,

millennialscompriselessthan10percentof

informationtechnologyemployeesinthefederal

government,accordingtotheOfficeofPersonnel

Management’s

FedScope

data.Theynotethatmorethanone-thirdofITworkersareage55orolder.Infact,morefederaltechworkersareoverage60thanareunder35,governmentwide.Forthepublicsectortomoveintothedigitalage,agenciesmustrecruitandretainyoungtechtalentbyrecognizingwhat

millennialswantinaworkplace.

Mostmillennialsgotoworkfortheprivate

sectorandavoidthegovernment’santiquated

systemsandrigidhierarchy.Butthere’snobetter

generationtohelpleadagencies’shifttodigitizationthantheonewithbothsavvytechnological

capabilitiesandthepassionforsocialgood.

Agenciescancourtmillennialsforpublicservicebytakingthesecriticalsteps:

Focusonmeaningfulopportunities.Not

everyprojectneedstobe(orcanbe)amissiontoMars,butthatdoesn’tmeanotherinitiativesanddevelopmentsshouldn’tbeinspiring.Millennials

believeinusingtechnologytochangetheworld.

Agencieswithinspiringmissions,liketheNational

ParkService,NASA,theCentersforDisease

Control,theNationalOceanicandAtmospheric

AdministrationandtheNationalInstitutesofHealth,shouldfocustheirrecruitmentmessagingonthe

uniqueopportunitiestheyoffer.Otheragencies

canmarkethowtheyprotectthepublic,serve

disadvantagedpeople,andprotecttheenvironment.

Createhiringauthoritiestargetedtorecent

collegegrads.America’smillennials

seek

mission-drivenemployersthatofferpurpose-drivencareeropportunitieswithgeographicflexibility.Arguably,thereisnocompanyororganizationmoremission-driventhanthegovernmentandnonethatisin

asmanycountries,statesandlocalities.But

publicsectoropportunitiesaren’talwaysmade

visibletorecentgradslikeprivatesectorand

consultancyjobsare.InthesamewaytheCIO

Council

coordinated

hiringfairswherepeoplecouldinterviewandbeofferedemploymentonthespot,agenciesshouldmoreregularlymakethemselvespresenttoengagewithmillennialsthrough

internshipprograms,careerfairs,andleadership

seminars.Newrecruitmenteffortsshould

complementcurrentprogramsformilitaryveteransanddrawfromtheirbestpractices.

PAGE6

monkeybusinessimages,

Facilitateopencommunication.Whileagenciesoftenworkinsilos,millennialsarekeenondesignthinking.It’simportanttostrategicallybringthe

rightpeoplefromallfacetsofaprojecttogether

inaroomtoproducethebestresult,regardless

oforganizationalstructure.Indoingso,agencies

arecreatingdiverseskillsetsattheofficelevel

thatwillleadtonewconversations,solutions,andapproachestothechallengesathand.Creatingtheappropriatephysicalspaceforsuchcollaborationisagoodfirststep.

Preserveandcreateperksthataddress

millennials’concerns.Fromstudentloanrepaymentprogramstocasualdresscodes,thepublicsectorisalreadyofferingmanyoftheperksmillennials

areseeking—theyjustdon’tknowit.Agencies

mustbeboldincommunicatingtheirdiverse(and

oftenunknown)employeebenefits,likerecruitmentbonusesandretentionincentives.Andnewperks

don’thavetobreakthebank.Creatingoffice

communityspaces,offeringleadershipdevelopmentopportunities,andencouragingstafftopursue

extracurricularactivitiesareallmicrochangesthatmakeabigimpact.

TohelpleadAmerica’spublicsector

modernization,thegovernmentneedsyoung,

eagerpeopletocontributeateverylevel.Agency

recruitment,training,professionaldevelopment,

andretentionprogramsneedtoberevampedfor

thedemandsoftoday’sincreasinglymillennial

workforce.We’reapproachingacriticalmoment

whenbabyboomerswillretireenmasse,but

generationXisfartoosmalltofillthesegapsalone.

Youngerpeoplewanttogainexperience,do

workthatimprovestheworld,andenjoythemselvesalongtheway.Thegovernmentcanbeaplacefor

youngprofessionalstodoallthree.Millennials

willmakeupthecoreofthenation’sworkforcefor

thenextseveraldecades.Theyarewell-suitedto

bringtheirtechfamiliarityandsocialawarenesstogovernmentagencies.Togetthere,thepublicsectorneedstomodernizethinkingaroundrecruitingandretentionefforts.

KrisTremaineisaSeniorVicePresidentat

ICF,

leadingthefirm’sfederaldigital,communications,

andhumancapitalpractice.JeffreyNealisaseniorvicepresidentat

ICF,

formerchiefhumancapital

officerfortheU.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurityandpublisheroftheblogChiefHRO.com.

PAGE7

CHAPTER2

LinkProgramCost,

PerformanceandImpact

Bridgingthegaps

betweenorganizationsiskey.

BYROBERTSHEAANDTIMGRIBBEN

Wislrd

spending?Thesetwoquestionsarefundamentaltounderstandingpublicvalueandcosteffectiveness,yetissuesofcost,performanceandimpact

oftenexistinsilos.That’saproblem,since

whenfinancialmanagement,performance,and

evidencecommunitiesworktogethertotackle

importantagencyorcross-agencychallengesandopportunities,governmentproducesbetterresults,oftenatlowercost.

Whydothosesilosexist?Akeyreasonisthat

thesecommunitiesusedifferenttoolsorlensestocarryouttheirwork.Theyoftenoperateindifferentofficeswithinagenciesandhavedifferentgoals.

Considerthequestion:Isthisprogram(orpolicy)

workingornot?Thethreecommunitiesaskdifferentquestionsaboutperformance.Forthefinancial

managementcommunity,includingchieffinancialofficers,thekeyquestionis,ofcourse,about

money:Isthisprogramspendingappropriatelyandaccordingtoprogramandaccountingrules?Fortheperformancecommunity,includingperformance

improvementofficers,thekeyquestiontendsto

focusonoutputsandoutcomes:Whatdidthis

programachieve?Andfortheevidencecommunity,suchaschiefevaluationofficers,keyquestions

focusonimplementationandimpact:Isthis

programbeingimplementedasintendedinan

efficientwayandwhatcausaleffectdoesithave?

Despitethesedifferences,thethree

communitieshaveimportantoverlappinginterestsandapproachesthatcanbenefiteachother.

Integratingcostinformationintoperformance

managementdiscussions,forexample,helps

decision-makerstracktrendsincostsand

cost-effectiveness.Leveragingfinancialdata

andcost-benefitanalysesinrigorousprogram

evaluationshelpsdecision-makersunderstand

returnoninvestment.Andcooperationbetween

evidenceandperformancestaffcanensurethatperformancemanagementeffortsareinformedbyimplementationinsightsandestimatesofimpact,notjustoutputsandoutcomes.

Inshort,thereareimportantreasonstobridge

thesesilos.InMay,about200officialsfrommore

than30federalagenciestookafirststep.The

event,calledthePIO/CFOSummit,wasco-hosted

bytheAssociationofGovernmentAccountants

andtheAmericanEvaluationAssociation.

Participantsdiscussedhowtobetterintegratecost,performance,andevidenceeffortsand,indoing

so,betterachievetheiragencies’missions.From

thosediscussions,weidentifiedfivesuggestionsforagencies:

1.Learnfromotheragencies.Somehavemadeimportantstridesinrecentyearstonotonlyprioritizetheuseofinformationrelatedtoevidence,performance,andcost,butalso

PAGE8

tohelpintegratethosedifferentlenses.One

agencyhighlightedatthesummitwasthe

SmallBusinessAdministration.Oneofus(Mr.Gribben)describedhowtheagencylaunchedacentralevaluationofficeandachiefdata

officerrolewithintheCFO’soffice.The

agencyalsocreatedanacquisitionvehicleforprogramevaluationthatincentivizestheuseofcost-effectivedata-collectionmethods.Anditpublishesalearningagenda—adocumentthatidentifieshigh-priorityresearchquestions—

andmakesitaprioritytoactontheresultsofevaluations.

2.Identifyyouragency’smostimportantproblemsoropportunities.Whenagency

leadersareclearwiththeirstaffsaboutwhatthemostimportantorganizationalchallenges,risks,andopportunitiesare,itprovidesafocalpointandmotivationfordifferentpartsof

theorganizationtoworktogether.Moreover,organizationalleadersshouldsetexpectationsthattheseofficesshouldbeworkingtogether.

3.Usenewevidence-basedpolicytoolsasanopportunitytobridgesilos.LegislationcurrentlybeingdiscussedinCongressputs

someoftherecommendationsoftherecentCommissiononEvidence-BasedPolicymakingintolaw.Thatincludesrequiringeveryfederalagencytocreatealearningagenda.The

creationoflearningagendasprovidesa

valuableopportunitytobringtogetherthePIO,CFO,andevaluationexperts.

4.Includethechiefevaluationofficer(orotherseniorevidenceperson)andCFOin

agencyquarterlyperformancereviews.Doingsocreatesabridgebetweenperformance,

evidenceandfinancialeffortswithinthedepartmentandbringsdifferentlensesto

tacklepriorityagencychallenges.

5.Havedeputysecretariesembracetheirchiefoperatingofficerrole.Oneofthebestwaysforagenciestoovercomesilosisfor

adeputysecretarytobeastrongCOO.That

meanstakingresponsibilityforagencies’

outcomesandoperationalexcellence,as

wellasplayingquarterbackbycorrallingthe

variouschiefswithinthedepartment—for

finance,performance,andevidence,butalso

fordata,acquisition,humancapital,and

informationtechnology—intoacoordinated

approach.

ThePIO/CFOSummitdemonstratedthevalue

ofdialoguebetweenthefinancialmanagement,

performance,andevidencecommunities.Itsparkedtheconversationandcreatedmomentum.Itis

nowuptothepublic-managementcommunity,

insidegovernmentandout,toworktowarda

visioninwhichseparatesilosarereplacedwith

interconnectedstrategiestohelpagenciessucceed.

RobertSheaisaprincipalatGrantThornton.

HeservedontheCommissiononEvidence-Based

Policymakingandastheassociatedirectorfor

administrationandgovernmentperformanceattheWhiteHouseOfficeofManagementandBudget

intheGeorgeW.Bushadministration.Heisthe

author,withAndrewFeldman,oftherelatedreport

“BridgingCost,Performance,andEvidence.”Tim

GribbenistheChiefFinancialOfficerandAssociateAdministratorofPerformanceManagementat

theSmallBusinessAdministrationwherehehas

responsibilityforallaspectsofSBA’sfinancial

management(includingpreparationandsubmissionoftheagency’sbudgetandfinancialstatements),

performancemanagement(includingprogram

evaluation),internalcontrols,andacquisition.

PAGE9

CHAPTER3

BuildStrategicPlansAroundEvidence

Youneedmorethangoalsandgoodintentions.

BYANDREWFELDMAN

Wiii,npnt

theshelfasexpensivepaperweights?

Onereasonisthat,toooften,they’redevelopedbyanarrowgroup—usuallyastrategicplanning

teamworkingwithleadership.Theplanshardlyeverachievebroaderbuy-infromstaffandotherstakeholders,nordotheyreflecttheinputofstaffwithimplementationexpertise.

Asecond,lessobviousreasonthatstrategic

plansoftenfallflatisthetheory(onemightsay

hubris)underlyingthem:thatifwepicktheright

setofgoals,strategiesandinitiativesandthen

implementthemwell,wewillachievetheresultswewant.It’saprescriptiveapproachthatassumeswehavealltheanswers,includingknowledgeaboutthecomplexcausalrelationshipsinvolved.

Thereality,ofcourse,isthatweareoften

guessingaboutwhataffectswhat.That’snot

becauseofincompetence,butratherbecausetheworkthatgovernmentdoesiscomplicated.Fromfightingpovertytoaddressingtheopioidcrisistotacklingclimatechange,iftheanswerswereeasywe’dhavesolvedthesechallengesalready.

Asimilarpointwasmade30yearsagoby

BobBehn,nowattheHarvardKennedySchool,inhisseminalarticle,“

ManagementbyGroping

Along.

”Publicmanagers,Behnnoted,“needtohaveaclearsenseofmissionfortheiragency.Buttheywillneverknowpreciselyhowtorealizethesepurposes.”Ratherthanaimingtocreatetheperfectplan,Behnargued,publicmanagers

“mustexperimentwithvariousinitiatives,tryingtodeterminewhatworksandwhatdoesnot.”

Doestryingtodeterminewhatworkssound

familiar?It’sacentralfocusoftheevidence-

basedpolicymovement.Yetstrategicplanning

andevidenceeffortsrarelyintersect.Expertson

thesetopicsgenerallysitinseparateofficeswithinagenciesandviewtheirworkaslargelyunrelated.

Notsurprisingly,threedecadesafterBehn’s

article,mostagenciesandjurisdictionsarestill

tryingtocreatetheperfectstrategicplanratherthanaimingtogetbetteratlearningwhatworks.

Whatweneedisthenextgenerationofstrategicplanning,integratingthetraditionalapproachtoitwithevidence-baseddecisionmaking.Thefocus

shouldbeonstrengtheninganorganizational

cultureoflearningandcontinuousimprovement.

Thegoalshouldbeaculturethatbuildsevidenceaboutwhat’sworkingandwhat’snot,andthenusesthatevidence,withbuilt-infeedbackloops,torefineinitiativesandstrategiesovertime.Toachievethat,agenciesandjurisdictionsshoulddofivethings:

1.Clearlydefinewhatsuccesslookslike

foreachgoal,usingqualitativeorquantitative

measures—orbothifpossible.Ifyouwantto

buildacultureofcontinuousimprovement,

youneedtobeclearaboutwhatkindof

improvementyou’reaimingfor.

2.Createlearningagendasforeachmain

goalorstrategy.Learningagendasidentify

keyresearchandoperationalquestionsthat

PAGE10

Sezeryadigar,

needtobeansweredinordertoimprove

results.Aquestioncouldbeaboutwhich

versionofaprogramworksbest,oritcould

beaboutwhetheraprogramorpolicyworks

aswellforruralasforurbanareas.Learning

agendashelpfocusevidenceefforts—includingprogramevaluation,dataanalyticsandrapid

experimentation—onpriorityquestions.

3.Developclearlogicmodelsforeach

initiative.Logicmodelstieinputsandactivitiestooutputsandoutcomes.Theydon’tneed

tobecomplicated.Thegoalistoclarify

assumptionsaboutwhataffectswhatandtospecifytheexpectedresults.They’reusefulforimplementationplanningaswellastoinformhowresultswillbeevaluated.

4.Implementevaluationstrategiesforeachinitiative,formalizingthefeedbackloop.Withoutthisstep,itisdifficulttocrediblyknowwhetherthoseinitiativesareworkingasintendedorhowtheycanbeimprovedovertime.

5.Establishaprocessofregularevidencereviews,providingleadershipwithan

opportunitytoaccessevaluationresultsandactonthatinformation.Thatincludesrefininginitiativesandstrategiesovertimeand,withrobustevidence,makinginvestmentand

divestmentdecisions.

Someagenciesarealreadymakingprogress

towardsignificantlyimprovingstrategicplanning.

Atthefederallevel,forexample,alegislativebranchagencyheldworkshopswithstaffonitsgoals

andrelatedstrategies.Theworkshopsincluded

quicktrainingsessionsonlogicmodelsandtime

forstafftodeveloplogicmodelsforproposed

initiatives.AnotherexampleistheSmallBusiness

Administration.Itdevelopsamulti-yearlearning

agenda,updatedannuallywithnewevidence,

relatedtoitsstrategicgoals,suchassupporting

smallbusinessrevenueandjobgrowth.

Theneedforastrategicplanningrefreshisclear,especiallygivenpublicemployees’widespread—

andsooftenjustified—cynicismwiththetraditionalapproach.It’stimetoshiftfromstrategicplanningthatemphasizesaccountabilityforactivities

(merelyimplementingaplan)toonethatfocuses

onaccountabilityforlearning,improvementand

results.Integratingevidence-baseddecisionmakingthroughoutthestrategicplanningprocessneedstobecomethenewnormal.

AndrewFeldmanisadirectorinthepublicsectorpracticeatGrantThornton.Hewaspreviouslya

visitingfellowattheBrookingsInstitutionanda

specialadviserontheevidenceteamattheWhite

HouseOfficeofManagementandBudget.

PAGE11

CHAPTER4

Don’tLetOrganizationalSilos

StifleInnovation

Thelackofprecedenttoooftendetersprogress.

BYMEROEPARKANDNYLABETHGAWEL

Lrelyno

services,butoftenfeelstymiedbyorganizationalsilosorbudgetaryconstraints.

Ineverycornerofthegovernment,however,theyarefindingwaystoovercomethesechallengesandbecomecatalystsforchange.

AttheStateDepartment,ThomasDebass,whoisresponsibleformanagingtheOfficeofGlobal

Partnerships,saidhestayswithinlegalboundariesashepromotescollaborationwiththeprivate

sector.Butthoseboundariesshouldneverhinderthecapacitytobuildandstrengthenpublic-privatepartnershipsthatcanprovidesolutionstosomeofourmostpressingchallenges,hesaid.

AsDebassandhisteamadvanceU.S.diplomacyanddevelopmentaroundtheworld,heoftenhearsthequestion,“Isthatlegal?”Attimes,hesaid,thisquestionisnotsomuchaboutlegalityasitisaboutalackofprecedent.

“It’simportanttoshowcasehowinnovative

solutionscanbedevelopedanddeployedwithinthecontextoflegalrulesandexistingpolicies,”said

Debass.

GettingOutoftheOffice

Inothercases,leadershavefoundthemselves

operatinginavacuum,lackingameansofhearing

first-handaboutideasforimprovements.

FloraJordan

,anengineerwiththeMarine

CorpsSystemsCommand,foundawayaround

thisdilemmawhenshewasgiventhemandateto

designnew,lighterbodyarmorthatwouldbeas

protectiveasexistingequipment,butweighless

andbesuitableforwomenandthosewithsmaller

physiques.

Inyearspast,thoseinJordan’sposition

generallyhadlimitedcontactwithtroopswhentheydevelopednewequipment.Jordantookadifferentapproach,interviewinghundredsofMarinesto

understandtheirneedsandconcerns.Inaddition,

shefittedherselfwiththeheavyarmor,wenton

trainingmarchesandcollecteddataonwhat

improvementscouldbemade.

Asprototypesweredeveloped,Jordanwent

backtotestherideas.“Weneverlostconnection

withtheMarines,”shesaid.“Iwasjustthetranslatorofwhattheyweretellingme.”

Col.RobertBailey,theformerprogrammanageroftheInfantryCombatEquipmentOffice,describedJordan’sapproachas“absolutelygame-changing.”

UsingDatatoPrioritizeProblem-Solving

Forothers,theimpedimentstoinnovationhave

PAGE12

jeffbergen,

involvedresourceandtimeconstraints.

JordanManos

facedthisdilemmaduringthe

summerof2017whenHurricaneHarveycaused

massivefloodinginHouston,severelydamagingordestroyingthousandsofhomesandbusinesses.

Beforereconstructioncouldbeginformany

residents,theFederalEmergencyManagement

Agencywasrequiredtoassessaffectedhomesandcommercialpropertiesforsubstantialdamage.

Theproblemwasthesizeandscopeofthe

disaster.“Thedamagecoveredhugeamountsoflandandanunprecedentednumberofstructures,”saidQuentinCummings,aFEMAfloodplain

managementspecialist.

Manos,anengineerwiththeDepartmentof

VeteransAffairsontemporaryassignmenttoFEMA,focusedonfindingwaystogetdisplacedfamiliesbacktonormallifeasquicklyaspossible.

Intheaftermathofpreviousfloods,FEMAwouldinspecteachstructure,butthisapproachwasnotpracticalsincemorethan100,000structureshad

beendamaged.Usingtheoldassessmentprocesswouldhavetakenatleast200daystocompleteatahugecosttothegovernment.

Manosworkedwithhisteamandacross

agenciestorevisethedamageassessmenttool

Cummingshadcreated,addingnumerousnew

datapointsincludingacomponentthatpredicts

therelationshipsbetweenthedepthoftheflood

waterandthepercentofdamagethatastructure

sustained.Asaresultofthisandotherchanges,

FEMAwasabletofocuson20,000structureswith

ahighprobabilityofdamageinabout60days.

Thisspedupinsurancepaymentstoresidents

andresultedinmillionsofdollarsinsavingson

inspections.

Leadingchangeinthefederalgovernmentis

difficult.Therearealwaysreasonstomaintainthe

statusquoandmanybarrierstoovercome.But

federalleaderslikeDebass,JordanandManos

havefoundwaystosweepasidetheobstaclesandengageincreativeproblem-solvingtobetterservetheneedsofthepublic.

MeroeParkisthePartnershipforPublic

Service’sexecutivevicepresident,overseeingthe

organization’sprogramsanditsworkwithfederal

agencies.NylaBethGawelisaleaderinBoozAllenHamilton’sStrategicInnovationGroup,andan

expertintheadoptionofemergingtechnologiesandinnovationprograms.

PAGE13

CHAPTER5

Confront‘FakeNews’

Don’tletmisinformation—ordisinformation—distortwhat’sreallygoingon.

BYDONALDF.KETTL

Pu”n“the

campaignhasdeepenedthewedgesbetweenthoseinthepresident’sbaseandthosewhoarenot.Butitalsomatterstogovernmentemployees.Alot.

Whenwadingintothedebateoverjusthow

manypeopleattendedthe2017inauguration,

presidentialadviserKellyanneConwayfamously

pointedto“alternativefacts”tosupportthe

administration’sclaimsofbigcrowds.Her

formulationdrewfierceattacksatthetime,but

there’sanimportantpointatthebottomofthe

battle.Peoplearedeeplymistrustfulofthosewhodevelop,publicize,anduseinformation.There’s

asuspicionthattheytendtospinit,toreinforce

theirownprejudicesandvalues.ThatmadeiteasyforConwaytoattacktheNationalParkService’s

crowdestimates.Thepresident’ssupporterswereeasilyconvincedthatthecrowdestimateshadbeenspunbythepresident’sopponents—andthatan

alternative,morefavorablepicturewasjustasvalid.

Itworkslikethis:It’spossibletospinalmostanyfact,manypeoplebelieve.Ifitispossibleforexpertstospinfacts,thenit’scertainthattheydo.Iftheydo,thenit’simpossibletobelieveanythingistrulyafact.Andifnothingisreallyafact,it’s

possibletobuildalternativeconclusionsbasedonalternativefacts—andtobelievethatthese

alternativesarejustasvalidastheconclusionsthatexpertsoriginallyproduced.

Analystshavestronglypushedbackagainst

thislineofargument,butitwouldbedangerousto

dismissit.There’sactuallysometruthinit.Ionce

mademystudentsveryuncomfortablebytaking

acasestudyandshowingthemthatIcouldput

togetherananalysistosupportanyconclusiontheywanted.Thatisn’ttosaythatIfeltgoodaboutit,orthatIbelievedthatthefactscouldleadequallyindifferentdirections.Butthenuboftheissueisthis:tellmewhatconclusionyouwanttodrawandIcanbuildacaseforit.

Thenthere’sthebusinessoflobbying,where

specialinterestsbringinhiredgunstomaketheirbestargumentsforthepolicythattheorganizationprefers.Thatturnsouttobeeasierthanmany

peoplethink.It’saperfectlyreasonablepartof

thegiveandtakeofWashingtonpoliticsand,in

fact,it’simpossibletoseparatefromtheworkof

Washingtonpolitics.Butwithdifferentlobbyists—

indeed,withdifferentauthoritativethinktanks—

lookingatthesameproblemsandcomingto

differentconclusions,it’sinevitablethateveryone—policymakers,managers,membersofCongress,

lobbyists,andcitizens—getsincreasinglycynical

aboutwhetherthere’sanythingmorethanself-

interestedspinatthebottomofmostpolicybattles.

PAGE14

LincolnMemorialduringsunrise/tomwachs,

Thishasalwaysbeenachallengeforthose

makinggovernmentpolicy.FakenewshasbeenaroundsincetheRomanstrashedAntony’s

reputationbysuggestingthataqueenofEgypt

hadcompromisedhim.Buttheproblemhas

clearlygottenworse.There’smorepolicyanalysisinplay,sotherearemoreopportunitiesforspin.Therearemorelobbyists,sotherearemorehiredgunsrunningthespincycle.There’smoreinstantnewsandsocialmedia,soit’seasiertospread

informationmorequickly.Andthere’sdeeperpolarization,soit’smorepredictablethatviewsaboutfactsbreakdownalongpartisanlines.

Thishasmadepolicymakingharder,forsure.

Butit’salsomadeithardertobeagovernment

employee,hiredtofigureoutwhat’sbestforthe

public.Governmentexperts—someofthebest

mindsintheknownuniverse—havequietlyconfidedinmethatit’sgettingharderfortheirprofessionaljudgmentsaboutimportantissuestostick.Does

itmakesensetocontractoutthemanagementofaparticularprogram?Ifthethreatofa

particulardiseaselooms,isitpossibletoconvince

governmentandprivatecompaniestotakebig,

expensivestepstostopit?What’sthebestwayto

getagoodcountinthecensus?

It’sincreasinglyhardforgovernment

expertstodotheirjobsexpertlywhenthere’sa

growingsuspicion