Author Archive

Donald F. Kettl
Donald F. Kettl is professor emeritus at the University of Maryland and former dean of its School of Public Policy. He recently retired from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of many books, including Escaping Jurassic Government: How to Recover America's Lost Commitment to Competence, The Politics of the Administrative Process, System Under Stress and The Next Government of the United States. Kettl is a two-time recipient of the Louis Brownlow Book Award of the National Academy of Public Administration. In 2008, he won the American Political Science’s John Gaus Award for a lifetime of exemplary scholarship in political science and public administration. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and has held appointments at University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Donald F. Kettl is professor emeritus at the University of Maryland and former dean of its School of Public Policy. He recently retired from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of many books, including Escaping Jurassic Government: How to Recover America's Lost Commitment to Competence, The Politics of the Administrative Process, System Under Stress and The Next Government of the United States. Kettl is a two-time recipient of the Louis Brownlow Book Award of the National Academy of Public Administration. In 2008, he won the American Political Science’s John Gaus Award for a lifetime of exemplary scholarship in political science and public administration. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and has held appointments at University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The People Behind the Federal Spending Cut Dilemmas
Before slashing federal jobs, lawmakers should think about the mission voters would like the government to perform.
- Donald F. Kettl
The Gathering Storm Threatening the Civil Service
Conservatives are gearing up for a big debate and attacks that could upend the civil service as we know it.
- Donald F. Kettl
The Federal Workplace Is Changing Rapidly, But Merit Principles Must Remain Untouched
The merit system should be at the core of any reforms agencies make to adapt to fast-changing workplace dynamics.
- Donald F. Kettl and Daniel Chenok
How the Supreme Court’s West Virginia v. EPA Decision Will Upset the Administrative World
The ruling will likely sow confusion and gridlock, and shift the balance of power in an unintended way.
- Donald F. Kettl
It’s Time to Bridge the Divide Separating Policymakers and Researchers
President Biden’s management agenda provides the perfect opportunity for government officials and public policy researchers to help one another solve pressing problems.
- Donald F. Kettl
Why Biden’s Presidential Management Agenda Is a Big Deal
The sharply focused effort places a high priority on employee engagement.
- Donald F. Kettl
Three Pandemic Lessons for the Next Crisis
What we've learned from dealing with COVID-19 could improve the federal response in the future.
- Donald F. Kettl, Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene
The Failure of Government's Post-COVID Imagination
Twelve lessons to guide the future of work.
- Donald F. Kettl
The Battle for the Public Service Is Just Beginning
We are in the midst of a critical debate over the future of the federal workforce.
- Donald F. Kettl
Lessons From the Pandemic for Government Leaders at Every Level
COVID-19 laid bare both the shortcomings and virtues of federalism.
- Donald F. Kettl
Biden Needs a Strategy for Strengthening the Federal Workforce
Mending the public service isn’t just one more thing to do—it’s the way to do everything that needs to be done.
- Donald F. Kettl
6 Lessons From 2020 Federal Leaders Should Apply in the Months to Come
As the embers of the dumpster fire that was 2020 burn away, important lessons provide light for the way forward in 2021.
- Donald F. Kettl
Schedule F Order Relies on a Myth the Private Sector Fires More People Than the Government
The notion that companies remove employees for cause more readily than federal agencies is not supported by the data.
- Donald F. Kettl
Why Merit Matters
Governance isn’t a solo act and it won’t work well if we don’t trust the experts who are giving us advice.
- Donald F. Kettl
Trump’s Order Sets the Stage for Loyalty Tests for Thousands of Feds
The president’s executive order sweeps aside 140 years of federal policy promoting professional expertise.
- Donald F. Kettl
Resilience Is Local, But Feds Can Help
In strengthening government’s response to COVID-19, nothing matters unless it matters at the community level.
- Donald F. Kettl
We Must Address the Crisis in the Merit System
The historic system for hiring and promoting federal employees is failing the nation, and the consequences are profound.
- Donald F. Kettl
A Federal Data Failure Is Making It Hard to Talk About COVID
Without a standard, trusted language of COVID data collection, it’s been hard to measure the disease, track its trend, and build effective policy.
- Donald F. Kettl
Building Trust in Government One Problem at a Time
Public administration needs a new social contract.
- Donald F. Kettl and Anne Khademian
A Leadership Reality Check
It doesn’t matter how good the plan is to combat the COVID-19 outbreak if leaders don’t lead.
- Donald F. Kettl