The Price of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis

There was a movement to learn and apply the best, most efficient practices of government and study it in a practical way in the 80s and 90s. David Osborne was among this group. A more analytical public administration in a more statistical sense has taken over in academia and done very little to practically change government. However, the insights Osborne and his compatriots make still works whenever a new politician, ignorant of the preexisting compilations of best practices, stumbles upon the same idea. Ted Gaebler is another good one, but Osborne is excellent.

Excellent book for anyone wanting to understand municipal finance.

Was perfect giveaway for what we wanted. Good quality and fit the bill. Have ordered them many times. Loved the author.

Great ideas if anyone can find government workers or teachers who know anything or care about ...budgets. Focus on getting workers engaged in the planning process first before introducing even the word BUDGET or PRICE of Government. Also, using the terms PERMANENT and CRISIS in the same sentence does absolutely nothing except cause eyes to glaze over.

There is no question today that governments-at all levels-are in dire fiscal straits. Years of political maneuvering, wasteful spending, mismanagement, and an economic roller-coaster have taken their toll. While wonderful innovation has been seen in a number of government agencies at the federal, state, and local level, most have a very long way to go. The resistance to change must be overcome if we are to avoid widespread bankruptcy of the very organizations that we, as taxpayers and citizens, rely on for shared services and support. Change is a community effort, not just something to be delegated to a few elected or appointed officials. But the work to be done is akin to hugging a hippopotamus...especially if the animal doesn't want to be hugged! The authors are consultants-which could be considered good news or bad news. In this case, it's good news. They are founder and senior partner of Public Strategies Group, a firm specializing in the field of improving government. Osborne is author of the best-seller, "Reinventing Government." These authors have the credentials that cry out how valuable their book might be. The five sections of the book organize their huge volume of information, commentary, and advice: Smarter Budgeting, Smarter Sizing, Smarter Spending, Smarter Management, and Smarter Leadership. Through fifteen chapters the authors describe what's been happening, the impact, what changes could-or should-be made, and what benefits will result. There are no illustrations in this book-a few charts; it's straight text in page after intriguing page. Tremendous content that can be absorbed in a straight-through read or studied in a reference book fashion. Community leaders will find an incredible amount of material to work with in these pages. The question is how many communities will have sufficiently strong and committed leadership-political and apolitical-to overcome the resistance of tradition and self-serving turf protection in order to bring about critically needed change. If you can build the community resources to make the needed improvements, this book will be a real treasure for exploring opportunities and finding wise solutions.

I enjoyed reading this book even though it is very very repetitive. I thought the book contained some great data on the price of government. It also had good analysis and explanations on why the price of government varies between states. The analysis on why government is in the fix it is quite good. The book is weak on the solution part. Their concept has never been successfully implemented. Those with budgeting experience will understand why once they read the book. For managers on a local level the book does really appreciate the effect state and federal mandates have on government operations. The book was successful in provoking some thought about basic budgeting assumptions. The book is a worthwhile read provided you don't expect it to offer a workable process to solve budget problems.

This book is about our future--the one we can have if we choose the difficult path of dramatic change. The authors present a convincing argument that we don't have to choose between higher taxes or service cuts. There are great opportunities for getting more from government services with the taxes we are willing to pay. The authors lay out a blueprint for pursuing those opportunities starting by radically changing the way governments do budgeting. The success stories are compelling. This is stimulating reading to anyone interested in getting better results for the dollar. I loved the chapter on politics and the argument for leading from the radical center.

This is a another great book written by David Osborne, with practical, yet out of the box ideas on balancing government budgets. A great process that can be emulated by public administrators to focus taxpayer dollars on the most important programs and services. It challenges administrators to go beyond hacking away at every program budget until all the programs are barely running on a shoestring and no one is getting the results that taxpayers want.