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A Timely Look at Why Government Projects Take So Long to Complete

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Marc Dunkelman talks about his new book, Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress--And How to Bring it Back. Included in our discussion are the philosophical divide in political thought that goes back to our Founders (Hamilton and Jefferson) and still impacts getting things done, the focus on process over results, how this has impacted our infrastructure, including roads, housing and the electric grid, and the political ramifications that are bad for the party that believes in the power of government to address people's needs--Democrats.

Robin A. Johnson is a governmental relations, public policy and political consultant. He is an expert on government reform issues and has consulted with numerous local governments on consolidation/merger, public-private partnerships and full-cost accounting of public services. Robin has also helped candidates win elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, state legislature, judiciary and local government. Robin served as a consultant to the Office of Statewide Performance Review in the Illinois Governor’s Office and is former director of the Illinois Center for Competitive Government, a partnership between the Illinois Comptroller’s Office and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. Prior to that, he was Director of the Local Government Affairs Division of the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. Robin served on the Board of Directors of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) in 1999-2000.