How to Run a Government by Michael Barber

A couple of months ago, I wrote a review of What is Government Good At? by Donald Savoie. In that book, Savoie explained the disconnect in government between the creation of policy and the implementation of policy.  Michael Barber's How to Run a Government is the perfect followup book, as it looks entirely at implementation. Anyone who has been working at the policy level in the public service would have heard and possibly been confused by the latest buzz word "deliverology." Barber, or more formally Sir Michael Barber, is one of the founders of this new approach to government. From 2001 to 2005, he was the first head of the Prime Minister's delivery unit in the UK. Since then the concept of deliverology has spread around the world, including to Dalton McGuinty's Ontario and Justin Trudeau's federal government.

At its essence, this is a "how to" book (as the title would indicate). Barber sets out the process of how to apply his ideas in a government organization.  He sets out his 57 rules of delivery, that range from Rule 7: "Consult without conceding on ambition (opposition is inevitable)" to Rule 44: "There is no substitute for sustained, disciplined political leadership" or my favourite Rule 33: "Government by routine beats government by spasm (it's not even close)." Throughout he illustrates his rules with examples from projects that he has worked on from all around the world, in both developed and developing nations.

Barber's idea is really rather simple--choose a small number of priorities, set targets, focus relentlessly on achieving those targets, and build in irreversibility.  It seems fairly obvious, but it is not how government often works.  Instead the tendency is to try to be all things to all people, claiming that everything is a priority, preparing endless reviews and reports, and failing to follow through on implementation.  Most helpfully, Barber explains the elements of government culture that will resist change and how to overcome them.

This is clearly a title that will appeal to the more wonkish reader, however, it is written in a clear accessible style and provides insights into how organizations function that crosses outside the narrow world of government and public service.

Four smileys out of five: 😀😀😀😀