Making Government Work: California Cases in Policy, Politics, and Public Management



M
aking Government Work: California Cases in Policy, Politics, and Public Management
Barry Keene, ed., 210 pages, Book #3966, $21.95 

Shaping public policy in a huge, diverse state like California is seldom easy. Having secured institutional authority, whether by election or appointment, those who hold political power quickly find they can rarely wield it without restraint. There are rival powerholders to be won over, opposing arguments to be refuted, nagging doubts to be allayed, wavering allies to be reassured. 

Making Government Work is designed to help people reach their public policy goals by thinking and acting politically. We are convinced that the political skills essential to making good public policy can be taught. The cases presented here are like political fables. They are stories with a lesson. And they can help people acquire the skills and techniques that are essential to making government work. This book is the result of a unique collaboration between the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley and the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento. All the cases in this second edition are new. 

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Barry Keene retired from public life in 1993, after a quarter century of service. He was Senate Majority Leader and chairman of its Judiciary Committee. In the lower house, he chaired the Assembly Health Committee. He specialized in innovative, transformational legislation in the health and environmental fields. Upon retirement, he was a visiting professor at Stanford University; at California State University, Sacramento; at the McGeorge School of Law; and the University of California, Berkeley. During his legislative tenure, and later his affiliation with the Center for California Studies, he was the author of numerous articles on government and politics. In mid-2000 Keene was appointed by Governor Gray Davis to head the California Department of General Services.



HOME     ABOUT IGS     AFFILIATED CENTERS     CONTACT US     SITE MAP     UCB HOME     UCB POLITICAL SCIENCE
Skip to main content Skip to navigation