System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics, 2nd Edition (Public Affairs and Policy Administration Series)

WINNER OF THE LOUIS BROWNLOW BOOK AWARD! <P>The massive bureaucratic reorganization under the Department of Homeland Security was a response to the system-wide coordination problems brought to light on 9/11. Better planning, new leadership, and far-reaching reform were to demonstrate that the U.S. had learned its lessons well, that it would be prepared for the next attack or disaster. But the catastrophic response to Hurricane Katrina unequivocally showed how this restructuring has not brought about the kinds of long term policy changes that are necessary to deal effectively and efficiently with threats--whether manmade or natural. <P>Is the system permanently broken? Should FEMA be removed from DHS or abolished altogether? Donald Kettl, in this thoroughly updated second edition, takes a hard look at the most recent stress on the system. He explores how the 9/11 Commission forever changed public discourse on the topic as well as discusses the ways in which FEMA might be reformed. The country faces solvable problems, he argues, yet is in dire need of new leadership at every level. In his brief, gripping narrative, Kettl assesses how well the U.S. political system responds under extraordinary pressure and asks if the focus will continue to be on fighting the last war. There is small chance the catastrophe that lies ahead will replicate the last one. Is the government ready to face that next challenge?

Donald F. Kettl is the Stanley I. Sheerr Endowed Term Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, director of the Fels Institute of Government and professor of political science. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Kettl is the author of numerous books, including <I>System under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics (Winner of the 2005 Louis Brownlow Book Award); Deficit Politics; Leadership at the Fed;</I> and <I>The Next Government of the United States</I> (forthcoming). His <I>Transformation of Governance: Public Administration for Twenty-first Century America</I> (2002) shared the 2003 Brownlow Book Award for the best book in public administration. Kettl has consulted broadly for government organizations and is a regular columnist for <I>Governing</I> magazine.