How Government Really Works

"We want to lift the veil on the world of bureaucracy," write Jane Allt and Angela Poirier in their introduction to this book. For anyone working in government, they offer an informal guide based on their experience on how to survive and prosper in a complex and challenging environment. For everyone else, they provide valuable insight into how bureaucrats think and act, and how to work successfully with them.

Among the topics covered:

• government workplace culture
• the love-hate relationship between bureaucrats and politicians
• how bureaucrats plan for new policies and measures — and how they can stall them
• the bureaucracy's role in selling government policies and actions

"We share the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to serving elected officials," the authors say, and they deliver the goods. The authors are career civil servants with more than 60 years of service between them. They share their experiences plus case studies, talking points and insights from senior bureaucrats and academics. The result is an insightful, entertaining and fast-paced read.