Power to the Public: The Promise of Public Interest Technology
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- Create Date：2021-06-14 07:51:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tara Dawson McGuinness
- ISBN：0691207755
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Summary
"Worth a read for anyone who cares about making change happen。"--Barack Obama
A powerful new blueprint for how governments and nonprofits can harness the power of digital technology to help solve the most serious problems of the twenty-first century
As the speed and complexity of the world increases， governments and nonprofit organizations need new ways to effectively tackle the critical challenges of our time--from pandemics and global warming to social media warfare。 In Power to the Public， Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank describe a revolutionary new approach--public interest technology--that has the potential to transform the way governments and nonprofits around the world solve problems。 Through inspiring stories about successful projects ranging from a texting service for teenagers in crisis to a streamlined foster care system， the authors show how public interest technology can make the delivery of services to the public more effective and efficient。
At its heart， public interest technology means putting users at the center of the policymaking process， using data and metrics in a smart way， and running small experiments and pilot programs before scaling up。 And while this approach may well involve the innovative use of digital technology， technology alone is no panacea--and some of the best solutions may even be decidedly low-tech。
Clear-eyed yet profoundly optimistic， Power to the Public presents a powerful blueprint for how government and nonprofits can help solve society's most serious problems。
A powerful new blueprint for how governments and nonprofits can harness the power of digital technology to help solve the most serious problems of the twenty-first century
As the speed and complexity of the world increases， governments and nonprofit organizations need new ways to effectively tackle the critical challenges of our time--from pandemics and global warming to social media warfare。 In Power to the Public， Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank describe a revolutionary new approach--public interest technology--that has the potential to transform the way governments and nonprofits around the world solve problems。 Through inspiring stories about successful projects ranging from a texting service for teenagers in crisis to a streamlined foster care system， the authors show how public interest technology can make the delivery of services to the public more effective and efficient。
At its heart， public interest technology means putting users at the center of the policymaking process， using data and metrics in a smart way， and running small experiments and pilot programs before scaling up。 And while this approach may well involve the innovative use of digital technology， technology alone is no panacea--and some of the best solutions may even be decidedly low-tech。
Clear-eyed yet profoundly optimistic， Power to the Public presents a powerful blueprint for how government and nonprofits can help solve society's most serious problems。
Reviews
Craig Amason
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I picked up this audiobook because President Obama recommended it， which makes sense now that I know the author worked on the rollout of the Affordable Care Act。 Her experience has taught McGuinness why technology is not always the best way to overcome every challenge， which ends up being the driving principle behind this very analytical study。 The book takes the form of several long essays about public-interest projects that succeeded or failed based on how leadership employed technology in sol I picked up this audiobook because President Obama recommended it， which makes sense now that I know the author worked on the rollout of the Affordable Care Act。 Her experience has taught McGuinness why technology is not always the best way to overcome every challenge， which ends up being the driving principle behind this very analytical study。 The book takes the form of several long essays about public-interest projects that succeeded or failed based on how leadership employed technology in solving problems or addressing issues。 On many occasions， old-fashioned methods and basic human interaction were much more effective than the latest software or mobile app。 In the end， the overriding takeaway reminds me of the axiom we often used about applying technology to procedures in the library field: just because you can doesn't mean you should。 。。。more
Micah
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Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank’s new book Power to the Public—The Promise of Public Interest Technology is a conundrum。 Its title suggests that it’s about how a new kind of technology， public interest technology， is empowering the public。 But the bulk of the book is about something else， a tad less sexy but certainly still of great importance: how a new culture and practice of public problem-solving is being developed， refined， taught， implemented and spread through the various layers of Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank’s new book Power to the Public—The Promise of Public Interest Technology is a conundrum。 Its title suggests that it’s about how a new kind of technology， public interest technology， is empowering the public。 But the bulk of the book is about something else， a tad less sexy but certainly still of great importance: how a new culture and practice of public problem-solving is being developed， refined， taught， implemented and spread through the various layers of government。 If you are interested in how a new generation of problem-solvers are improving how government does things like manage big programs like immigration， welfare or veterans’ health care， then McGuinness and Schank are essential guides。 See https://theconnector。substack。com/p/a。。。 for my full review 。。。more
Toria
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This book didn't go deep enough for my tastes， but I wouldn't hesitate to strongly recommend it to anyone working （or thinking about working） on public interest technology， or anyone who could use the advice to "build with"。This book mostly covers digitizing existing government services， putting forms online， and other areas where the relevant technology is well established but missing from a long-existing system。 It has a number of case studies and examples to back up its claims。 This book didn't go deep enough for my tastes， but I wouldn't hesitate to strongly recommend it to anyone working （or thinking about working） on public interest technology， or anyone who could use the advice to "build with"。This book mostly covers digitizing existing government services， putting forms online， and other areas where the relevant technology is well established but missing from a long-existing system。 It has a number of case studies and examples to back up its claims。 。。。more
William Sedlack
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I’m fired up and ready to solve my community’s problems after reading this fantastic book！
Vadini
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I picked up this book because it was recommended by Obama （can’t remember where） for any technologist interested in the public sphere。It definitely is very current， had interesting case studies on technology implementations in the government， and touched on the importance of design thinking when looking at policy & process changes within the government。 But， as someone who already was familiar with design-thinking principles （like starting with understanding the users）， the main points of the bo I picked up this book because it was recommended by Obama （can’t remember where） for any technologist interested in the public sphere。It definitely is very current， had interesting case studies on technology implementations in the government， and touched on the importance of design thinking when looking at policy & process changes within the government。 But， as someone who already was familiar with design-thinking principles （like starting with understanding the users）， the main points of the book （focusing on user research first， the importance of data） felt elementary。 If you don’t have as much familiarity with these concepts， though， this book would be a great introduction in the context of modernizing government processes。 Despite this， the anecdotes shared such as how Rockford， IL eliminated homelessness or how the foster care approval process was sped up in Vermont （perhaps not permanently， though） provided accurate illustrations of what it is like developing process interventions in the government and the roadblocks that might come in ones way。 One aspect of public interest technology work that I wish the book further elaborated on are the factors that are keeping top technical/design/etc。 talent from working in the government and what can realistically be done about them。 The book mentions lagging govt salaries and changes in university system goals as reasons for this， but the only solution they present is essentially that “you should do it to have an impact”， which seems to be the status quo。 It’s a quick， easy read but would definitely only recommend it if this topic is specifically something you’re just starting to delve into。 。。。more
Leonhard Prinz
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good for people in the public sector - but nothing new for people in the technology sector
Cathy A。
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Good summary read like of how government can use data in decision-making and process improvement。 Key is making process better must happen before technology is applied to “problem。”
Ben Kittelson
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I cannot wait to start getting this book for colleagues and friends。 This is a great summary of the civic tech， gov tech， innovation world in government and gives it a new name to bring all those efforts under the same umbrella， Public Interest Technology。 Tara and Hana bring practical examples and guiding principles to ideas that can seem abstract if you haven’t been exposed to them。 Definitely a must read and should be added to all public administration syllabuses。
Jennifer
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This is an excellent book that I predict I will read more than once and will share with others。 however， I would point out one unfortunate missed opportunity。 in the discussion of improving the Vermont assistance forms， it is stated that the team knew that elderly， blind， and disabled people in Vermont would have no electronic method for completing the forms。 in fact， blind and disabled individuals interact with digital information quite frequently through the use of assistive technology such as This is an excellent book that I predict I will read more than once and will share with others。 however， I would point out one unfortunate missed opportunity。 in the discussion of improving the Vermont assistance forms， it is stated that the team knew that elderly， blind， and disabled people in Vermont would have no electronic method for completing the forms。 in fact， blind and disabled individuals interact with digital information quite frequently through the use of assistive technology such as screen readers， refreshable braille displays， and the like。 The real obstacles for these populations arise when Technologies are not designed from the ground up so that they can interact with the assistive technology。 regulations and standards exist to guide this design， and， when followed from the very beginning rather than approached as an afterthought， can be quite reasonable and cost-effective to implement。 such implementation remove obstacles for people who are otherwise qualified for a job or a service。 this is addressed in federal and state procurement laws， and it should be acknowledged in this exciting discussion of public interest technology。 。。。more
Julia
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Fascinating and inspirational。 Highly recommend。
Venky
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“Power To The Public” is a deeply thought provoking， delightfully implementable and definitely an indispensable read for every policy wonk and maven， keen on exploiting and harnessing the potential of Public Interest Technology （PIT for short）。 This is a field that has， putting it mildly， remained muted for far too long。 As the authors illustrate with resounding clarity， adherence to the tenets and principles of PIT may well be the way forward in resolving some of the most seemingly intractable “Power To The Public” is a deeply thought provoking， delightfully implementable and definitely an indispensable read for every policy wonk and maven， keen on exploiting and harnessing the potential of Public Interest Technology （PIT for short）。 This is a field that has， putting it mildly， remained muted for far too long。 As the authors illustrate with resounding clarity， adherence to the tenets and principles of PIT may well be the way forward in resolving some of the most seemingly intractable socio economic problems ailing the world at present。 So what exactly is PIT？ As Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank explain， PIT reduced to its simplest definition means， “the application of design， data， and delivery to advance the public interest and promote the public good in the digital age。” In an era where policies in general and Governmental policies in particular are characterised by a dichotomy where the policy maker is two steps （or more） removed from the end recipient of such a policy， PIT attempts to remove this dilemma by placing the user front and centre。 This enables both the Government/public sector and the beneficiary to extract the most out of any benevolent scheme。 Lubricating the wheels of PIT are three quintessential elements: “design informed by real human needs， the use of real-time data to guide problem solving， and a focus on delivery in order to continuously learn and improve。”Even though concise in terms of number of pages， the book is replete with powerful illustrations demonstrating the power of PIT。 Unlike the private sector where even a continuous churn of birth and death of corporations might lead to ‘repairable’ dislocations， Governments and the public sector cannot just afford to fail。 Such a failure would lead to tumultuous consequences for thousands and millions of people who are dependent on the Government for their very sustenance。 The authors illustrate this principle with a fascinating example。 Form DHS-1171， in its original avatar represented the longest form for social assistance in the United States。 DHS-1171 unfortunately， was also the primary stumbling block for almost two million people in Michigan seeking access to emergency assistance。 “Anyone in Michigan in dire need of healthcare， food assistance， emergency cash， or childcare first needed to work their way through more than 1，200 questions。” Such an exasperating exercise could drive people to their wits end and many flummoxed applicants even gave up filling the form thereby sacrificing what otherwise would have constituted invaluable assistance。 Michael Brennan the former CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Michigan decided to do something about the gargantuan form。 With the assistance of Adam and Lana Selzer， the husband-wife duo， and founders of Civilla， a non-profit design studio dedicated to changing the way public-serving institutions function， Brennan put the principles of PIT to work。 Securing an appointment with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services （MDHHS） director Nick Lyon; Tim Becker， chief deputy director of MDHHS; Terry Beurer， senior deputy director of the Economic Stability Administration; and Rich Baird， a top aide to Governor Rick Snyder， Brennan and his team made the administrators fill out the nightmarish form along with a whole horde of actual applicants struggling with their own forms。 Amidst such a cacophonous setting， the administrators obtained a perfect flavour of the predicament which unwitting form fillers go through。“Several of the officials had never seen the form up close。 While that may be hard to imagine， this type of distance is commonplace across government。 The farther up the hierarchy a person gets， the more distance they have from both the people they serve and the caseworkers who serve them。” Thus began the DHS-1171 form redesign project。 With the actual people in need of benefits being placed front and centre， the form was repurposed with only the essential questions framed in collaboration with legislators。 A team of legal and technology experts thus reduced the time taken for filling a most vital and crucial emergency assistance from almost a whole day to just under thirty minutes。 “The focus on understanding both beneficiaries and frontline state workers grounded the team’s efforts。 Hearing how the process wasn’t working for anyone helped make the case for change。”Similarly， by placing the homeless people front and centre， Rockford was able to successfully obliterate the scourge of homelessness。 In the year 2015 Rockford ended veterans’ homelessness。 In 2017 they went one step further by putting an end to chronic homelessness， and are well on their way to totally ending homelessness。 The Built to Zero team tasked with eliminating the blight of homelessness initiated what at that time seemed an ambitious endeavour by making a list of every single veteran in Rockford who was homeless， so they could understand the totality of Rockford’s homeless population and their needs。 “But the list creation process also did something else。 It changed the problem being solved from a series of disconnected inputs—number of beds filled， number of people fed， number of patients served—to a concrete and shared goal that centered on human lives。 Ultimately， the list changed the focus from numbers of beds and meals and services to one single number: people who remain homeless。”The book also discusses the perils of not understanding the basic wants of the needy and the unfortunate。 When the Corona virus pandemic unleashed its fury on an unprepared United States， a commendably bipartisan promulgation resulted in a massive allocation of almost a trillion dollars in aid for the affected， under the Coronavirus Aid， Relief， and Economic Security Act， also known as the CARES Act， a massive， 880-page12 economic stimulus package。 However a complete absence of a grassroots level planning ensured that the benefits under CARES was to a great extent disproportionate to the needs of the targeted。 Thus while behemoths such as Boeing and the Distilled Spirits Council got quite a fat stimulus package， “the Payroll Protection Program （PPP）， a part of the bill aimed at helping small businesses， ran out of money twelve days after it launched， necessitating the creation of a second bill to help fill the meteor-sized holes in the first one。 Numerous reports surfaced of businesses that couldn’t even remotely qualify as a small business receiving money through CARES， among them fast-food chain Shake Shack， high-end restaurant chain Ruth’s Chris Steak House， and even the Los Angeles Lakers， a $4。4 billion franchise。 But for true small businesses， the help was very uneven。 At the same time， many of the people suffering the most found the requirements in the bill meant that they didn’t qualify for help。”All of these examples， argue McGuinness and Schank， are emblematic of four uncompromising essentials: First， government is an inevitable and uncompromising necessity to tide over the most crucial problems besetting the world today。 Second， the stumbling block lies within the systems， incentives and structures encompassing the Government ecosystem and not the Government itself or its workers。 Third， while technology definitely has an invaluable role to play in problem solving， it can never be a solution in itself。 Algorithms can never displace empathy。 can play a critical role， but it is never the solution alone。 Fourth， the role of Government is to aid and assist without discrimination or bias。 No segment of the population must be isolated or kept out from the parenthesis of prosperity and a basic acceptable quality of life。At a time when the world is teetering helplessly while being ravaged by an insidious pandemic， the role of PIT in instituting indelible reforms cannot be stressed or emphasizes enough。 Messrs。 McGuinness and Schank bring their enviable experience in this domain to bear by paving the way。“Power to the Public” – a defining read in desperate times。 。。。more
Helen Wilson
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