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CHAPTER NINE: Managing Human Capital

Review

1. The text quotes Paul Light's 2008 book saying that "the federal service is suffering its greatest crisis since it was founded in the first moments of the republic . . . running out of energy [and] unable to faithfully execute all the laws". In short, Light finds that although government is functioning well, human capital problems are impeding progress at fundamental levels, and only by reforming these problems will the U.S. government be able to rise to its twenty-first-century challenges. From what you have read in this chapter, do you agree with Light: Is the problem of human capital in government as dire as he says, or do you think he is overstating the case? Think of specific examples from the text that would support your claim.


2. Why do you think that the United States stands out dramatically from other countries in having so many political officials? According to the text, in the American executive branch there are over 3,000 political positions, of which 1,500 are at higher levels, and of these approximately 1,000 are leadership positions. In other countries the numbers are a small fraction of that number. Discuss the answers given by scholars such as Terry Moe and Paul Light. Do you agree with these explanations, or can you offer another one that is more compelling?


3. What are the two views on the issue of whether the growing number of political appointees is a good thing for the administrative process? What is your view? The text analyzes the point by asking two questions: (1) How many political appointees are needed to achieve the objective? and (2) At what point does the number of such appointees become so large as to frustrate the objective? What do you think?


4. What do you think about the fact that after a President is elected he has only about ten weeks to assemble his vast team of political appointees? Most often, the President has to rely on campaign staff to make these critical choices, and most of the appointees have neither experience in the federal executive branch nor management experience at all. Not understanding how Washington works or how to manage bureaus of upward of 5,000 employees, they are still expected to exert competent leadership. What do you think of this system? Do you think it was what the Founders intended? What do you think they would think of it? Can you think of a "better" way?


5. What do you think of the Senior Executive Service? Do you think it is compatible with democracy? Why or why not?