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

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., Jan. 13. This one-day conference will feature a panel of distinguished experts, including Kevin Kosar from the American Enterprise Institute; Amy Holmes from the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence; Peter Warren, senior advisor to James Comer, who is the incoming Chairman of the House Oversight Committee; Jennifer Mattingley of the Partnership for Public Service; and Renata Lemos from the World Bank. Phillip Howard, chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which advocates simplifying government, will provide the keynote address. They will address the critical question: What can be done to improve federal government performance?

We’re joined today by two of the organizers of the event, Professor Emeritus in Public Affairs and Philanthropic Studies Leslie Lenkowsky and Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Chancellor's Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Emeritus Jim Perry. Professor Lenkowsky is an expert in volunteering and civic engagement, nonprofits and public policy, civil society in comparative perspective, education and social welfare policy, and social entrepreneurship. He was a founding director of the Corporation for National and Community Service during the Clinton Administration, and he was appointed by President George W. Bush as the CEO of the corporation in 2001.

Professor Perry is an internationally recognized leader in public administration and the study of public management. His 45 years of scholarship includes expertise in public management, public organizational behavior, government and civil service reform, national and community service, public service motivation, and performance-related pay.