U. S. Government: Democracy In Action

"Reinventing Government"

Introduction
In this chapter you have learned about the bureaucracy of the government, the civil service system, and the advantages and disadvantages of the federal bureaucracy. Whatever advantages the bureaucracy may have, many people have long been unhappy with the complexity and waste inherent in the system. For this reason, former Vice President Al Gore began a campaign in 1993 to "reinvent government"—to streamline the bureaucracy and eliminate wastefulness. In this activity you will take a closer look at this initiative.

Destination Title: National Partnership for Reinventing Government

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Directions
Start at the National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR) Web site.

• Click on Who We Are in the menu on the left of the screen. Click on Vision, Mission, Goals and Principles.
• Return to the main screen and click on the topic Accomplishments Summary, 1993-2001.
• Browse these topics, taking notes as you go.

After you have read through the information, answer the following questions.

1			What is NPR? What are its goals?
2			Summarize the "Reinvention Principles."
3			Describe some of the accomplishments of this initiative.
4			How did the government use technology and the Internet to improve services?
5			Return to the main screen and click on Initiatives in the blue column. Choose one of the initiatives listed on the screen and read more about it. Then prepare a five-minute presentation for your classmates, explaining to them everything you learned about the initiative. Be sure to report on the results of the initiative, and add your ideas about what could have been done to make the initiative more successful.