How can we improve government capacity and public services?
In “Mission-Driven Bureaucrats”, Dan Honig argues that civil servants are often deeply committed, yet hobbled by strict rule books. Trapped by top-down strictures, civil servants may even become disillusioned. Unable to help, they quit.
Government ministries can be so much more effective if motivated civil servants actually have the autonomy to apply their creativity and fix local problems. How do we know this? Dan Honig presents 4 million individual observations, plus in-depth case research in Detroit, Senegal, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Liberia.
We discuss:
Why are standard solutions ineffective?
Do strict rules reduce corruption?
How can managers build cultures where workers feel empowered?
You can listen on Spotify and iTunes, or watch on YouTube