WELCOME to Governing.com's books page, a handy gateway to our many book offerings. Here you can access books for sale, our online novel, excerpts from public-policy books, and supplementary information for Governing's textbook:

NEW! We Don’t Make Widgets
Overcoming the Myths That Keep Government from Radically Improving

Written for middle- and senior-level managers in state, city and county government, this new book by Ken Miller, an acclaimed state-government management expert and consultant, uses case studies from governments at every level — plus a generous helping of humor — to explode the myths that prevent dramatic improvement in government operations. Michael Lawson, director of the ICMA Center for Performance Measurement, says We Don’t Make Widgets "has the potential to change how you lead your work team or organization and provides concrete steps for doing so."
Read a full chapter.

Governing States & Localities

An introductory textbook for students

In a unique collaboration, political scientist Kevin Smith and Governing journalists Alan Greenblatt and John Buntin present the most current information on states and localities in fresh, accessible prose. Similarities between states make meaningful comparison possible. But their differences ——in terms of institutional structures, laws and regulations, culture and history, demographics, economy, and geography — provide the perspective students need to answer crucial questions about politics and government.

Other Governing books:

• Governing: Issues and Applications from the Front Lines of Government, second edition edited by Alan Ehrenhalt
• Powering Up: How Public Managers Can Take Control of Information Technology, by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene
• Measuring Up: Governing’s Guide to Performance Measurement for Geniuses (and Other Public Managers), by Jonathan Walters

Up the Bureaucracy

A satirical take on public administration

As H. George Frederickson makes clear in this satirical exploration of the world of public administration, bureaucrats and those critical of bureaucrats take themselves too seriously. With humor and wit, Frederickson has created an authentic and essential guide for those who aspire to serve the public.

Other online books:

• Playing with Fire, an online novel by Scott Lazenby

Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector

Reshaping public administration

Governing by Network examines, for the first time, government's transformation from centralized control over public programs to facilitating services through networks of nongovernmental entities, as seen through the experience of dozens of public innovators. In this model, the role of government is transformed from direct service provider to generator of public value.

Other book excerpts:

• The Price of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis, by David Osborne and Peter Hutchinson