System Under Stress: The Challenge to 21st Century Governance

by Donald F. Kettl

Homeland security is perhaps the least understood of the important issues in American politics today. Created in response to system-wide coordination problems, it's unclear whether this new bureaucracy has made enough--and the right--changes to repel future terrorist attacks. Kettl shows how 9/11 stressed the political system and reveals what policymakers are doing well--and what the government is still struggling to solve.

Genres: Political Science

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Donald F. Kettl is a professor at the School of Public Policy and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He served as the dean of the school from 2009-2014. Prior to Maryland, he was the Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Professor of Political Science.

Professor Kettl is a student of public policy and public management and specializes in the management of public organizations. He has appeared on national television on shows including Good Morning America, the ABC World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News, CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" and "The Situation Room," the Fox News Channel, as well as public television's News Hourand the BBC. He has testified frequently at congressional hearings in Washington and contributed to op-ed pages in major newspapers, including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsday, and The Los Angeles Times. Since 1998, he has been writing a regular column for Governing magazine, "Potomac Chronicle," which is read by leading state and local government officials around the country.

Professor Kettl is the author or editor of a dozen books and monographs, including: The Next Government of the United States: Why Our Institutions Fail Us and How to Fix Them; On Risk and Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina; The Global Public Management Revolution; and Leadership at the Fed.

Two of his books have been co-winners of the Louis Brownlow Book Award of the National Academy of Public Administration for the best book published in public administration. He is the recipient of the Warner W. Stockberger Achievement Award of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources for outstanding contributions in the field of public sector personnel management (2007); the Donald C. Stone Award of the American Society for Public Administration for significant contributions to the field of intergovernmental management (2005); and the Charles H. Levine Memorial Award of the American Society for Public Administration, in recognition of contributions to research, teaching, and outreach (1998). In 2008, Kettl won the American Political Science's John Gaus Award for a lifetime of exemplary scholarship in political science and public administration.

He has consulted for a broad array of public organizations, including the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury; the Forest Service, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget, the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Commission on the Public Service (Volcker Commission), and the National Commission on the State and Local Public Service (Winter Commission). He has advised the White House during both Republican and Democratic administrations and has worked with the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Professor Kettl has also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vanderbilt University, the University of Virginia, and Columbia University. He has earned his bachelor's and doctorate degrees from Yale University. He is a fellow of Phi Beta Kappa and the National Academy of Public Administration. He is also a shareholder in the Green Bay Packers.

Reviews

[Steven Peterson]

Donald Kettl's thin but rich book, "System under Stress," examines homeland security and American politics. He begins by observing that most of us tend to think that things will be in the future as they were in the past, that the political system behaves in predictable ways. However, he goes on, shocks to the system raise intriguing and powerful questions. Specifically, how have the events of 9/11 affected American politics and governance?

He raises a series of key questions, such as: "But what happens to that system when a major shock shakes its foundations? What can such a profound upheaval tell us about the system's ability to respond? How does it help define the core truths and enduring principles that lie at the heart of American government? And how can we evaluate the system's response to better understand how it can adapt to the diverse challenges we are likely to face in the future?"

This volume explores a number of issues emerging from a consideration of such questions. What systemic failures led to the successful and devastating attacks on 9/11? What kind of coordination problems across government agencies need to be addressed/ What about the roles of state and local governments? How does the political system address the policy challenge of protection against threats that can never be fully eliminated? What about the balance between security and civil rights and liberties? How does a system, in short, respond to strain? Kettl uses a medical analogy: attacks like 9/11 serve as a kind of political "stress test" to diagnose what works and what does not work in the American political system.

This book is a well crafted analysis of such questions. Worth reading and worth thinking about. . . .

[Jordan Rubin]

Great Read!

Very insightful and informative analysis of our governmental institutions! Also, really good examples and analogies were used to further illustrate or highlight some of the many stressors that weigh on our government and its leaders altogether.

[Brelie Espinoza]

Closer to 3.5-4 stars tbh. Had to read it for a class and write a report on it. Honestly really insightful, and challenges your thinking in a healthy way. I just found it a tad repetitive but would definitely encourage others to read.

[Eloy Henrique]

Absolutely amazing book. So many important reflections to anyone that is interested in Public Policy and Government Management.

[Reader]

I thought this was a pretty neat read. As someone who wan't alive during either of these events it was a fascinating opportunity to experience a glimpse of the turmoil America faced.

[Don]

System Under Stress is an interesting and provoking analysis of the homeland security system and decision-making process. Kettl offers an insightful critique of the successes and failures of the Presidency, the Congress, executive agencies, and state and local governments in their efforts to prevent, respond to and mitigate catastrophic events caused by terrorist and natural hazards. Very readable.

[James]

The book did a fairly good job of presenting the information from an unbiased viewpoint. It was nice to see the facts presented in a way that did not force a conclusion down your throat.

[Chris]

The best book I've ever read on policy change after disasters. The author does an excellent job of examining the effects of September 11th, and is very approachable.

[Haileyjett]

For a text book this was a really good read...

[Shelly]

I enjoyed the analogy. It was a good constant theme to return to and helped to simplify a very complex legal and political topic.

[Jeremy]

I have read much of Kettl's writing about stress on systems. I am not in a position to do anything about it, but it does have application to anyone heavily involved in regulation and legislation.

[Em Chitty]

An interesting (!) book on the government's response to the challenges of the post 9/11 period.