Reinventing Govenment

Introduction

Economics drive the force structure within government especially today as we live in a environment of fiscal instability and speculation. Government reinvention is something that I have been a part of while I was deployed for a year in Iraq during the invasion 2003. Reinventing/changing the concepts of the governments is not an easy task, the cultures are the main part of countries and it cannot be overlooked when trying to change the mindset of governmental organizations. The concept of reinventing government however has been in practice in the private sector since the mid 1980 's where it is more commonly referred to as business process reengineering or simply reengineering (Schneider, 2009).

Architecture, Machinery and Privatization

The architecture of reinvention has been driven by new ideas of growth by limiting or cutting the cost and force of government. Within this efficiency focus attention is not shifted towards democracy, but to empowerment through business. Within these practices it would seem as if in the beginning phases of reinvention that things will change, and some will change for the better. Though without detailed accountability, social justice in democracy will be overlooked. In the last quarter of a century, since the movement for the reinvention of government began, we have moved away from the concept of government to governance and we have witnessed some spectacular changes that have done much to make government more effective, transparent, and innovative. However, the discourse on new governance is somewhat limited and does not adequately address the concerns of developing societies (Thompson, 1998).
The machinery of government, as defined by Shafritz, Russell and Borick (2009) are the infra-structures of local, state and national governments that allow for the legally mandated delivery of programs and services. Government will be a part of society, and will continue to guide citizens within the confines of law. Our country recently witnessed our government try to control and mandate the internet in the form of placing accountability on the internet by holding violators accountable for illegal downloading. Several websites to include Google wanted to stop the online piracy act by advertising that within the bill, it would limit access to the internet rather than protect it. President Ronald Reagan’s slogan that “the problem of the government is the government itself” resonated with all those who worried about the excessive reach of the government. Within the confines of time and life one would believe that the issues and problems of the past would not affect the future, but as stated above government changes programs and services not “time”.
As countries expand, their government assets are expanded, which lead to privatization. Efficiency should be the lead cause to privatization as said by (Shafritz, Russell, & Borick, 2009). In today’s economic culture the bureaucratic impact could prove, that not only efficiency drives privatization, but greed carries’ the same weight. As corporations become stronger, they become fixtures within the political sector by creating factions who divide culture with messages. Like within any political battle candidates fight for their beliefs. Within the sale of government assets large businesses think and drive people, and influence economic markets. Within the bureaucratic process our elected officials will have to live with the highest level of integrity to insure that the values and traditions of democracy are fulfilled.

Conclusion/Recommendations
The American people along with other countries deserve a solid base of support from the government that supports them with policy and law. I recommend for each example that when governments are reinvented we should lend great credit to the cultures of the said government. As I listed earlier about my deployment to Iraq, it’s not easy to break the governance of a country and believe that democracy and reinvention is a possible choice or conclusion to break the economic policies of a country to make it stronger. As we think of the strengths and weaknesses we must also delve into the reality and beliefs of a nation.

References

Shafritz, J.M., Russell, E.W., & Borick, C.P. (2009). Introducing public administration, (6th edition). New York: Pearson Longman.

Schneider, Cynthia. (2009) The American European Community Association Rijswijk. Two Unions: The United States and The European Union, Online: http://www.usemb.nl/092899.htm.
Thompson, F. J., & Riccucci, N. M. (1998). Reinventing government. Annual review of political science, 1(1), 231.

References: Shafritz, J.M., Russell, E.W., & Borick, C.P. (2009). Introducing public administration, (6th edition). New York: Pearson Longman. Schneider, Cynthia. (2009) The American European Community Association Rijswijk. Two Unions: The United States and The European Union, Online: http://www.usemb.nl/092899.htm. Thompson, F. J., & Riccucci, N. M. (1998). Reinventing government. Annual review of political science, 1(1), 231.