Author Archive

Walter R. Houser

Digital Government

The right competition in government fosters cooperation

Government agencies should be more like the private sector. They would be better if they learned to compete in a competitive world. If government programs competed in the marketplace, they'd be more efficient and effective. Such is the advice government agencies get from well-meaning critics of bureaucracies. Frankly, most federal agencies already are quite competitive. For example, few companies compete as intensely Interior's Park Service and Agriculture's Forest Service.

  • By Walter R. Houser, GCN
Digital Government

RFC 1855 is a great base netiquette policy for your agency

Ever get criticized or ""flamed'' for sending an e-mail message that violated some unknown rule? Ever reply to an e-mail message and discover that a couple thousand people mistakenly received your personal chatter? Do you have something interesting to announce to the Internet but don't know how to do it without getting flamed? Do you wonder for how long your messages can be read after they've been sent? And who can read them?

  • By Walter R. Houser, GCN
Digital Government

'It's time to turn the organization charts upside down'

When budgets are tight, it's hard to find the resources needed to innovate. But these days, budgets are getting so tight that many agencies no longer can assume that funds will be there to continue doing business as usual. Of course, agencies facing elimination have even tougher choices. Can they afford to innovate when their existence is in question?

  • By Walter R. Houser, GCN