Best of "Can We Still Govern?" in 2023: Volume II
Personal Favorites
Welcome to the second volume highlighting the best of “Can We Still Govern?” for 2023. The first covered the most-read stories of the year. Now for personal favorites, the pieces I derived a lot of satisfaction from writing. So take a moment to read and share if you have not done so already!
A deep dive explainer: You might have noticed that the term “weaponization” has become a lot more common. I dug in into its origins. It turns out that the people who originated the term, and pushed for a weaponization committee in Congress, are the people who want to truly weaponize government for their ideological ends.
A "weaponization of government" trope explainer
The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government began its business this week. The hearings were not been especially interesting, replaying old grievances of how Trump had been mistreated, with a star FBI whistleblower who turned out
Surprising second acts: I’m a sucker for second acts in life. Meet Tim Gurner, an Australian entrepreneur who went viral for criticizing “arrogant” workers. But did you know he first won fame as the avocado toast guy?
The dismal return of the avocado toast guy
Like many, I remember exactly where I was when I learned what happened in 2017. At a small coffee shop called Porter, inside a disused train station in Madison, Wisconsin. Coincidentally, they had great avocado toast. I may have been eating that toast when I first encountered Tim Gurner.
Pretending to be a travel writer: Mostly I write about higher education, politics, government, and policy. But did you know I am also an aspiring travel writer? As soon as I get enough paid subscriptions, I am quitting my job to become the very poor man’s Anthony Bourdain. Look, just be grateful that I’m not starting a podcast.
Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way
I was born and raised in Ireland, and still go back a couple of times a year. So a regular question I encounter from friends and colleagues is “where should I visit in Ireland?” There are basically two itineraries: Itinerary 1: Dublin You fly into the capital, and never leave the city. You spend a lot of money in Temple Bar drinking overpriced beer before …
Too many appointees: America has too many appointees leading public organizations, and a Senate that uses those appointees as pawns in their unrelated political battles. I explain how this hurts government capacity, and why its likely to get worse.
America has too many political appointees
Does the following sound like a good way to run an organization? It takes over a year to find senior executives, four months for them to be approved, and then they leave within two years, starting the search process all over again. The top jobs are vacant about one quarter of the time. Oh, and the executives often lack relevant experience for the job.
Highlighting great academic work: I love being able to communicate academic research on topics I care a lot about. This year, with Pam Herd, Hilary Hoynes and Jamila Michener, we edited a volume on the topic of administrative burden. Here are highlights from the intro.
Administrative burden as a mechanism of inequality
The following is an excerpt from Introduction: Administrative Burden as a Mechanism of Inequality in Policy Implementation, which opens a, interdisciplinary two-volume symposium featuring new research on administrative burdens in the Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences. You can find links to each article at the bottom of this post. Al…
Thanks so much. Look forward to writing more in 2024.
I loved scrolling through Volumes I and II. I hope some day you do get to be a travel writer. What a dream job. Keep up the great work and rest before the mayhem resumes in full.