Dan Banik and Dan Honig explore the concept of mission-driven bureaucrats, emphasizing the importance of empowerment, trust, and autonomy over strict compliance and control in improving government performance and public service delivery.
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EPISODE NOTES
Season finale! It is my great pleasure to welcome back a person I have very much enjoyed speaking with earlier— Dan Honig, an Associate Professor of Public Policy at University College London and Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy (@rambletastic). His latest book is Mission Driven Bureaucrats: Empowering People To Help Government Do Better. Mission-driven bureaucrats, according to Dan, are individuals who work within the bureaucracy with a genuine desire to serve their organization's mission of helping citizens. They perform their jobs out of a strong belief in their purpose, rather than being driven by a set of rules or incentives that compel them to act in specific ways. But what are the historical roots of the term "mission," and how can mission-driven bureaucrats thrive? The book argues that the key to better government lies in empowerment and trust, rather than stricter controls and more rigorous oversight.
Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or your preferred podcast platform.
Key highlights
Introduction – 00:24
A mission driven bureaucrat – 04:04
Managers like Ted Lasso – 18:21
Managing for empowerment versus managing for compliance – 25:12
Demotivated and unmotivated bureaucrats – 37:46
Characteristics of efficient bureaucracies around the world – 35:06
New public management and the centrality of citizens – 43:52
Host
Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)
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https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com
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