Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better

Onerous government software is spooking millions out of legal, financial, and medical aid they’re entitled to, according to this impassioned debut from Pahlka, founder of the nonprofit Code for America. Contending that the government should think of people seeking social services as users on a platform, Pahlka calls on officials “to put the needs of government’s many users ahead of the needs of the bureaucracy,” and argues that such an overhaul would mean that unemployment checks get written sooner, Medicare works for both patients and doctors, and veterans stop feeling like they’ve been told “to go fuck themselves.” Instead of outsourcing the planning and building of these new administrative systems to private tech companies, Pahlka, who founded the United States Digital Service under the Obama administration, calls for the creation of government positions “charged with digital strategy and product management.” Though she admits that “increasing that government’s capacity to function in a digital world will be long, hard work,” Pahlka expresses optimism that decades of innovation by the private sector will help smooth the transition. Throughout, she enriches her lucid technical discussions with concise history lessons and vivid profiles of government employees pushing for reform. Comprehensive and persuasive, this call for change inspires. (June)