What government does : how political executives manage / Mark A. Abramson, Paul Lawrence.

Includes bibliographical references.

Print version record.

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.

Machine generated contents note: ch. One Introduction -- What This Book Is About -- What We Would Like the Office of Presidential Personnel to Know About Different Types of Jobs -- ch. Two Job of the Political Executive: Running an Agency -- Assessing the Organization -- Strengthening the Organization -- Obtaining Mission Alignment -- Developing Strong Processes -- Mastering Metrics and Measuring Progress -- Building Relationships -- Enhancing Credibility and Visibility -- Fostering Innovation -- Innovation in Action -- Innovation Initiative: The Department of Veterans Affairs -- Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Program: The Department of Agriculture -- Race To The Top Program: The Department of Education -- Every Day Counts Program: The Department of Transportation -- ch. Three Deputy Secretaries -- Understanding the Job of the Deputy Secretary -- Key Components of the Job of the Deputy Secretary -- Serving as an Alter Ego for the Secretary -- Serving as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Department -- Serving as a Convener -- Serving as a Policy Advisor -- Serving as a Leader of Departmental Initiatives -- Serving as Crisis Manager -- Serving as Liaison to Stakeholders -- Deputy Secretaries in Action -- Rafael Borras at the Department of Homeland Security -- William V. Corr at the Department of Health and Human Services -- W. Scott Gould at the Department of Veterans Affairs -- Seth D. Harris at the Department of Labor -- David J. Hayes at the Department of the Interior -- Dennis F. Hightower at the Department of Commerce -- Maurice Jones at the Department of Housing and Urban Development -- Kathleen A. Merrigan at the Department of Agriculture -- Anthony W. Miller at the Department of Education -- Thomas R. Nides at the Department of State -- Daniel B. Poneman at the Department of Energy -- Appendix to Chapter 3 Profiles of Deputy Secretaries Interviewed -- ch. Four Producers -- Understanding the Job of the Producer -- Key Components of the Job of the Producer -- Delivering the Output -- Getting the Metrics Right -- Focusing on Customers -- Working Style of Producers -- Producers in Action -- Allison A. Hickey at the Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs -- David J. Kappos at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce -- Alejandro Mayorkas at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services -- John T. Morton at the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security -- Robert A. Petzel at the Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs -- John S. Pistole at the Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security -- David H. Stevens at the Federal Housing Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development -- William J. Taggart and James W. Runcie at the Office of Federal Student Aid, Department of Education -- Appendix to Chapter 4 Profiles of Producers Interviewed -- ch. Five Regulators -- Understanding the Job of the Regulator -- Key Components of the Job of the Regulator -- Operating in a Politically Contentious Environment -- Getting the Rules Out and Running an Organization -- Responding to Unexpected Events While Keeping the Organization Running -- Constantly Engaging with and Responding to Stakeholder Concerns -- Regulators in Action -- Michael R. Bromwich at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Department of the Interior -- Margaret Hamburg at the Food and Drug Administration -- Allison M. Macfarlane at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- Joseph A. Main at the Mine Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor -- David Strickland at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation -- Inez Moore Tenenbaum at the Consumer Product Safety Commission -- Jon Wellinghoff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- Appendix to Chapter 5 Profiles of Regulators Interviewed -- ch. Six Infrastructors -- Understanding the Job of the Infrastructor -- Key Components of the Job of the Infrastructor -- Serving as an Instructor -- Serving as a Producer -- Serving as an Engineer -- Infrastructors in Action -- Jonathan S. Adelstein at the Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture -- Arun Majumdar at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy -- Victor M. Mendez at the Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation -- Joseph C. Szabo at the Federal Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation -- Appendix to Chapter 6 Profiles of Infrastructors Interviewed -- ch. Seven Scientists -- Understanding the Job of the Scientist -- Key Components of the Job of the Scientist -- Guarding the Scientific Integrity of Their Organization -- Interfacing with the Political Leadership of Their Organization -- Making Their Organization Relevant to Government Decision-Making -- Strengthening the Institution -- Reaching Out to External Stakeholders -- Scientists in Action -- Rebecca M. Blank at the Economics and Statistics Administration, Department of Commerce -- Patrick D. Gallagher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce -- Marcia K. McNutt at the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior -- Richard G. Newell at the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy -- Kathryn D. Sullivan at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce -- Appendix to Chapter 7 Profiles of Scientists Interviewed -- ch. Eight Collaborators -- Understanding the Job of the Collaborator -- Small Agency Collaborator -- Partner Collaborator -- Central Management Agency Collaborator -- Collaborators in Action -- Daniel M. Ashe at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- John Berry at the Office of Personnel Management -- David A. Hinson at the Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce -- Pamela Hyde at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services -- Raymond M. Jefferson at the Veterans' Employment and Training Service, Department of Labor -- Mary K. Wakefield at the Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services -- Appendix to Chapter 8 Profiles of Collaborators Interviewed.

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