Customer Reviews (1)

YES, THEY ARE.
Critics of the federal government--especially conservative critics--are fond of saying that government agencies are almost never abolished."No matter how ineffective they are, they just go on forever," is the oft-heard complaint.

In 1974, Herbert Kaufman tried to find out whether government agencies do go on forever.The result, ARE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS IMMORTAL?, has to be the most interesting volume ever to come out of the Brookings Institution and the best 79-page book ever published.

Briefly, Kaufman compared the number of federal "organizations" (a larger group than bonafide "agencies") in existence in 1923 with the federal organizations of 1973.This was more difficult than it sounds, as Kaufman had to account foragency-mergers, name-changes, and changes in mission, but eventually he came up with some reasonable rules for what constituted the "same" agency over the span of half a century.He also supplemented his two agency censuses with data from various government reports to determine agency founding dates. All in all, the only real flaws in the study were that Kaufman eliminated the "independent commissions" as well as everything in the Department of Defense.He also failed to incorporate the agencies that were both created and abolished in the years _between_ 1923 and 1973, which may have skewed the results somewhat.

What Kaufman found was that federal agencies are indeed "immortal" for the most part, and that the number of agencies keeps on increasing like so many layers of sedimentary rock.The agency head-count went from 11 in 1789 to 123 in 1923 to 394 in 1973.Between 1923 and 1973, only 27 agencies were abolished.This gives government agencies an 85 percent survival rate over 50 years. Equally important, Kaufman found that the longer an agency was in existence, the better chance it had to survive. In other words, the federal offices created under Washington, Adams, and Jefferson had a better chance of still being around than the ones created under Eisenhower and Kennedy.

If there is any surprise here, it is in what Kaufman calls the "death-rate."F.D.R. and Truman presided over an expanding federal government, but during their administrations 12 agencies were abolished--a very high figure for a 20-year period.And no agencies disappeared between 1957 and 1973, making these years quite unusual.

At the end of the book, Kaufman discusses how the agency death-rate might be increased.Among other proposals, he deals with "sunset legislation," at that time a fad idea for getting rid of institutions that had outlived their usefulness or never been any good to begin with. Under the simplest version of sunsetting, first proposed by William O. Douglas, every government agency would have an expiration date; at that time, if Congress didn't specifically vote to keep the agency alive, it would be abolished.But Kaufman was if anything more skeptical of the sunset idea than he ought to have been.Since this book was published, some form of sunset review has become routine--though perhaps more at the state level than at the federal and local levels.What the long-run effects will be are uncertain, of course.

We need more books like this--at the very least a follow-up study to cover the last 25 years of administrative history.In a footnote on page 77, Kaufman laments that we have so little information, and he says we need more."The journey," he writes, "has barely begun."Alas, 25 years later, it has still barely begun, even after Kaufman's brilliant start. ... Read more

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First published in 1984 this book has established itself as the leading textin British public administration. The third edition builds on the previousedition's success to bring the considerable changes and very latest developmentsin the field.

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As government management in Israel is gradually replaced by private sector management, this book provides a timely analysis of the machinery of government in Israel. It highlights the inadequacy of the private sector as an alternative and how Israeli public management will need to cope with the new challenges and pressures of the 21st century. ... Read more

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In 1995, RAND published a book exploring the feasibility and societal implications of providing "universal" access to electronic mail within the United States (Robert H. Anderson et al., Universal Access to E-Mail: Feasibility and Societal Implications). Among the nine policy conclusions and recommendations in that report were these: It is critical that electronic mail be a basic service in a national information infrastructure; it is important to reduce the increasing gaps in access to basic electronic information services, specifically, access to electronic mail services; there are no fundamental technical barriers to providing universal access to electronic mail services. This book explores the possibility for expanded citizen-government personalized electronic communication. Of particular interest are interactions between government agencies and individual citizens--interactions involving personal information, iterated communications between an individual and a government agency, and the use of a personal electronic mailbox for the individual. It provides an informal survey of current state uses of such communication, supplemented by two case studies of potential use. It also uses 1997 Current Population Survey data to update the electronic access trends in the United States that were highlighted in the 1995 study. ... Read more

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Throughout the 1980s the British Civil Service devoted much time and energy developing indicators to measure the performance of government. Never before had so much stress been placed on accountability and performance; a trend which will be reinforced as government continues to devolve activities to agencies and looks for methods to assess their performance. How Organisations Measure Success analyses existing methods from their origins in the 1960s to their revival in the 1980s as part of the Financial Management Initiative and its apotheosis in the 1990s Next Steps Initiative. The authors examine the natural history of performance indicators across a variety of government departments and public agencies as well as private businesses. The organisation case studies include the National Health Service, Department of Social Security, the police and the courts, as well as a chain of supermarkets and a clearing bank. The findings illuminate problems of both design and implementation and highlight other issues including the implications of performance indicators for democratic accountability. How Organisations Measure Success reports on two years of field research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and will be of great interest to students of social policy and public administration as well as professionals working in government and public sector management. ... Read more

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This legal volume was published in 1915.

Excerpts from the Preface:

This volume contains a collection of cases intended primarily
for the use of students in the study of Government and
Constitutional Law.For some years, the compilers have
used the standard text books on Government in teaching
these subjects, and after careful consideration, finally came
to the conclusion that better results were obtained by use
of the Case Book method.

The opinions of the Unted States Supreme Cout not only
offer instructive and interesting reading, but are the best
and most authoritative treatises upon the interpretation
of the Constitution and the definition of the extent of State
and Federal power.The facts of the cases present real
problems which have actually come before the Courts for
consideration and solution.We are convinced that when a
principle of Constitutional Law is coupled with the actual facts
of a case, the student not only more readly comprehends
it, but retains it longer in his memory.
.............................................................................

Contents:
- Constitution of the United States

CHAPTER I:
THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT:
Section 1. The President's Power of Appointment
Section 2. The President's Diplomatic and Treaty-Making Powers
Section 3. The President's Executive Power
Section 4. The President's Pardoning Power
Section 5. The President's Military Power

CHAPTER II:
THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT:
Section 1. Power of Congress Over Taxation
Sub-Section A. Extent of the Federal Power
Sub-Section B. Limitation of State Power
Sub-Section C. Direct and Indirect Taxes

Section 2. Power of Congress Over Commerce
Sub- Section A. Extent of the Federal Power
1. In General
2. The Meaning of Commerce
3. When Commerce is Interstate or Foreign
4. Meaning of the Sherman Anti-Trust Law
5. The Criminal Section of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
6. The Federal Taxing Power as Affecting Commerce
7. The Federal Police Power as Affecting Commerce
8. The Patent and Copyright Clause as Affecting Commerce and
Price Fixing
Sub-Section B. Extent of the Power of the States Over Commerce
1. The State Taxing Power as Affecting Commerce
2. The State Police Power as Affecting Commerce
Section 3. Power of Congress Over the Currency
Section 4. The War Power of Congress
Section 5. The Power of Congress Over the Territories
Sub-Section A. The Insular Tariff Cases
Sub-Section B. The Extension of the Constitution to the Territories
Section 6. The Implied Powers of Congress
Sub- Section A. The Exclusion of Foreigners
Sub-Section B. The Right of Eminent Domain
Sub-Section C. The Power to Make All Laws
Necessary and Proper for Carrying into Execution the
Enumerated Powers
Section 7. Restrictions on the Power of Congress
Sub-Section A. The Bill of Rights
Sub-Section B. Meaning of Ex-Post-Facto Laws

CHAPTER III.
THE JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT:
Section 1. The Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
Sub-Section A. Suits Between States
Sub-Section B. Suits Between the United States and a State
Section 2. Suits Against a State by One of Its Own Citizens
Section 3. The Law Administered by the Federal Courts
Section 4. Power of the Courts to Declare an Act of the Leg-
islature Null and Void

CHAPTER IV:
CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES:
Section 1. Trial by Jury
Section 2. Civil Rights
Section 3. State Laws Impairing the Obligation of Contracts
Section 4. The Equal Protection of the Laws
Section 5. Due Process of Law and Its Relation to the Police
Power
Section 6. The Guarantee of a Republican Form of Government
Section 7. Other Guarantees

CHAPTER V:
STATE COMITY:
Section 1. Full Faith and Credit Shall Be Given to the Acts,
Records and Judgments of Another State
Section 2. Privileges and Immunities of Citizens
Section 3. Extradition Between States

Plus the Appendix and a Table of Cases ... Read more

Product Description
Intended as a text for master's level students in public administration and public policy, this volume provides an introductory survey of the field that focuses on the structures of operation, management, and environments of modern governments. The contributors address federal, state, and local governments as well as intergovernmental relations, discussing such topics as fiscal management, policy analysis, program evaluation, management and personnel administration, marketing, and the developmental progress of national governments. ... Read more

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When Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, was appointed in 2006 to become the nation's next Secretary of the Treasury, he knew that his move from Wall Street to Washington would be daunting and challenging.

But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himself at the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions including Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others-all steeped in rich, longstanding tradition-literally teetered at the edge of collapse. Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the credit crisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew more ominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America and undermining the financial security millions of families had spent their lifetimes building.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster.

This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, ON THE BRINK is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players-including the CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush.

More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, ON THE BRINK is an extraordinary story about people and politics-all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.Amazon.com Review
When Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, was appointed in 2006 to become the nation's next Secretary of the Treasury, he knew that his move from Wall Street to Washington would be daunting and challenging.

But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himself at the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions including Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others-all steeped in rich, longstanding tradition-literally teetered at the edge of collapse. Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the credit crisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew more ominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America and undermining the financial security millions of families had spent their lifetimes building.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster.

This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, On the Brink is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players-including the CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush.

More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, On the Brink is an extraordinary story about people and politics-all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.

Customer Reviews (96)

Hank Paulson - Fall Guy or Participant?
The opening chapter of former US treasury secretary Robert Rubin's Autobiography "In An Uncertain World" is called "The First Crisis of the 21st Century" and describes his involvement in the Mexican financial crisis of 1995. He tells us on the first page that: "I told the President (Clinton) that the Mexican government faced an imminent threat of default and that, in the hope of preventing it, we were recommending that he support a massive, potential unpopular, and risky intervention: providing billions of dollars to the Mexican government to avoid a collapse in its currency and economy."

The former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan's "The Age of Turbulence" tries to outdo Rubin's melodramatic opener and tells us that he was flying back to the US from Switzerland on the fated day of September 11, 2001 when a security official told him: "Mr. Chairman, the captain needs to speak to you up front. Two planes have flown into the World Trade center."

Hank Paulson, the treasury secretary under George W. Bush from 2006 until 2009, starts off in similar theatrical style: "Do they knowing it's coming, Hank?" President Bush asked me. "Mr. President," I said, "we're going to move quickly and take them by surprise. The first sound they'll hear is their heads hitting the floor."

So whose heads are we talking about - Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro or other assorted bad guys? No, Paulson was aiming for the CEOs of two giant state-backed mortgage agencies with the unlikely names of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Almost 200 pages later he succeeds in breaking their heads but not before Wall Street's reputation is in shreds and billions of dollars have been lost in market capitalization and long-established firms like Merrill Lynch, Lehmann Brothers, AIG, Citigroup and others either go to the wall or are rescued by the US government, allegedly the arch-supporter of capitalism and the free market.

Paulson was at the center of these events and he must have been dealt one of the worse hands any treasury secretary has ever had, i.e. apart from Timothy Geithner who had to take over the mess when the Obama administration came into office and Paulson disappeared.

Was Paulson a fall guy or did he make things worse? He certainly had few supporters in Congress and many Republicans were furious with his decisions which they saw as thinly-veiled socialism.

Although Paulson was a participant in events, his style is dry and dull. His attempts to inject some life flop - describing a jog around Washington, references to birdwatching or his panic attacks, "dry heaves" as he disgustingly refers to them.

He is best at attacking politicians for being politicians but anyone can do that just as politicians are good at attacking financiers who make enormous amounts of money for being financiers as Paulsom did. The result is that the book has too many accounts of meetings and phone calls Paulson had with bigwigs in Wall Street and Washington, most of whom are unknown to the folks on Main Street.

It would have been better had he been more forceful in denouncing those he felt were responsible. However, whenever a criticism appears, a qualification follows quickly and diplomacy steps in at the expense of honesty and truth.

At the same time, he is also pretty open about many of his mistakes - probably a first for such a Wall Street high flyer. Nevertheless, he made many mistakes and his position as a Wall Street insider makes one wonder whether the US should reconsider its poacher turned gamekeeper approach to such an important post.

Surprisingly well written page-turner
I found this one of the best looks at the 08 financial crisis, and I got more out of it than from other books, such as the well-regarded "Too Big to Fail" by the NYT's Andrew Ross Sorkin. Paulson's book teems with fascinating details, leavened with a few glimpses of his normal life outside the office. He has very kind words for how George W. Bush handled things, not surprisingly since Bush was his boss. Still, I felt this was honest non-partisan praise for Bush who got unfairly blamed for wrecking the economy at the end of his terms when the fault clearly lay elsewhere, including most especially people who bought homes they could not afford and lenders who gave them the money when they should not have. This is a layman's book, contrary to those who say it's too boring. Read this for a well told tick tock of that awful 08 autumn when we all nearly lost our shirts.

too good to be true
Good history how the greed of individuals screwed the rest of us and they got to walk away with millions.

A very interesting look into the crisis
This is an excellent read for the person who, like me, is highly interested in our current financial crisis. This book will take you inside the back doors and into the mind of Henry Paulson during that time in the fall of 2008. Hard to say if I believe everything he says in this book. My only problem with his explanation of his decisions, especially TARP, is that I refuse to believe that an ex CEO of Goldman Sachs, a very calculated man with a storied wall street background and with an innate sense of business, devised TARP for the better good of the American people. When business is driven only by profit and a plan is devised by a businessman to inject capital, the main force behind profit, then it is hard to comprehend TARP as a necessary act with such minimal supervision and transparency. Karl Marx once said that "The love of profit will make even the most honest man into a werewolf." With that said, we will never know the true motives of Henry Paulson whether it was truly to build confidence or to look after his Wall Street buddies or both. Nonetheless, I still recommend this book as it is a very interesting read. Henry Paulson wrote this book well where anybody with any background can read. Whether a great American serving his country or the greatest villain of the 21st century. You decide.

Page-turner
Fascinating. A real page-turner. I followed the financial crisis closely in the Wall Street Journal and kept many articles in the E-directory labeled "Paulson's Plan," but this puts it together. It is Paulson's story but interesting regardless of point of view. My background in economics and as a former lawyer in local government surely contributed to my enjoyment of the book and identification with what went on.
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