18 | Improving Federal Government Performance with Jim Perry and Les Lenkowsky

About this episode

The episode discusses the effectiveness of the U.S. government and features insights from experts ahead of a conference on improving federal performance.

On Aug. 12, 1986, then-president Ronald Reagan, held a press conference in the Rosemont Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago, the 38th of his presidency. Before taking questions, President Reagan said he wanted to send a special message to America’s farmers, namely that he had a goal to remove what he believed were some regulatory barriers that were holding back the farmer’s prosperity. He phrased that viewpoint simply. “I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help,” Reagan said. And with that phrase, President Reagan encapsulated the feelings of millions of Americans. Nearly 40 years later, the issue of the effectiveness of the United States government to be a positive influence on the country remains at the forefront of our political discourse. Americans are distrustful of the government and have deep questions about the role it should play in their lives. Seeking some answers to the issue is the impetus behind the upcoming Evidence-Based Solutions for Improving Federal Government Performance Conference, which will be held at the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C…

People in this episode

Host: Paul H. O'Neill

Guests: Jim Perry, Les Lenkowsky

Topics covered

• government performance
• public administration
• regulatory barriers
• trust in government
• political discourse
• federal government effectiveness

Keywords

• government
• performance
• conference
• public administration
• trust
• regulations
• politics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Enterprise Institute, Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence, National Academy of Public Administration

Places: Washington, D.C.

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