Recoding America

Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better

By: Jennifer Pahlka

Narrated by: Jennifer Pahlka

Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

A bold call to reexamine how our government operates—and sometimes fails to—from President Obama’s former deputy chief technology officer and the founder of Code for America.

Just when we most need our government to work—to decarbonize our infrastructure and economy, to help the vulnerable through a pandemic, to defend ourselves against global threats—it is faltering. Government at all levels has limped into the digital age, offering online services that can feel even more cumbersome than the paperwork that preceded them and widening the gap between the policy outcomes we intend and what we get.

But it’s not more money or more tech we need. Government is hamstrung by a rigid, industrial-era culture, in which elites dictate policy from on high, disconnected from and too often disdainful of the details of implementation. Lofty goals morph unrecognizably as they cascade through a complex hierarchy. But there is an approach taking hold that keeps pace with today’s world and reclaims government for the people it is supposed to serve. Jennifer Pahlka shows why we must stop trying to move the government we have today onto new technology and instead consider what it would mean to truly recode American government.

Published by Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company

©2023 Jennifer Pahlka (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

Required reading for gov’t, tech, product management. Bring popcorn!

This book was riveting. (Which can’t be said about 99% of government technology and policy books.)

If you work in the private sector, particularly in tech or product management, you’ll love the stories shared in this book about digital service delivery in the US government. You’ve probably been impacted by some of these situations directly.

If you work at any level of government in a tech role, you’ll relate to the stories in “Recoding America”. You’ll find yourself constantly nodding in agreement.

Finally, if you have influence over legal policy, GET THIS BOOK. As Pahlka explains, clearly and concisely, policy and implementation must be considered together. Some massive digital flops in government were the result of laws that didn’t consider how the law could/should be implemented in software.

Bring popcorn, it’s entertaining!

Wonderfully Revealing

A tremendous lens into policy implementation. Required reading for all politicians or citizens interested in bureaucracy or government programs.

BEST BOOK EVER

Thank you thank you thank you for writing this. I’ve never felt more listened to as a public servant who accidentally ended up in the wild world of tech.

Why get stuck in a waterfall? Be agile and skip the drenching.

It was an inspiring and thought provoking read for an IT person. Simplification of bureaucratic processes positively impact everyone dealing with any government. Great story to learn how.

a must read for anyone in or working with government digital transformation!

Ms. Pahlka expertly explains the history, benefits, challenges and opportunities we have in federal government. Truly inspiring for public service!

How To Save Humans

Homo sapiens faces immense challenges. If we prevail, it will be because people who worked with government and IT tackled those large scale challenges dramatically more effectively. The best way I know to inspire that kind of change is through reading Jennifer Pahlka's book Recoding America. Her book catalogs the significant societal losses that have resulted from failed government IT projects, chases the cause of failure to the root, and illuminates a path to better public service at a time when it couldn't be more relevant.

enlightening, accurate, action oriented

Everything in this book echoes my exact experience with 10+ years working for a company that often served government contracts. It describes the pitfalls of "waterfall project management" style for technology projects (which I didn't realize had a name) exactly as I experienced them. Both the technical and personality related issues felt spot on. The solutions also seemed spot on. I love the description of the problem, solution, and overall feel of the book which did not look to demonize anyone. Only to solve issues with a sincere goal of making things better for everyone.

A must read for anyone in govt working with data

I work in data management and this book explains so many frustrations I never knew how to articulate. Jennifer Pahlka is a unique story-teller and make a compelling narrative for a broad audience. I love her writing style and voice, and found the book easy to follow.

A *very* important book

As a long time defense contractor who has actually faced down the ESB requirement, this book was equal parts humbling and vindication. It does an excellent job of showcasing how the sausage is actually made from multiple perspectives, and how bad things happen with government delivery.

The author’s optimism carries the day though. When you feel as if true success is only possible on small scales (where the lack of attention and oversight allows teams to take chances, it’s refreshing to have someone convincing us that we’re not simply trapped under the crushing weight of the machine.

We need more people like her!

Eye opening

This is eye opening as someone who has only worked in the private sector. I recommend it to anyone in government or IT.