Orzag Speaks the Truth
Today, Peter Orzag, head of the OMB, gave a critical speech that claimed that government agencies should make deep cuts across the board. While I won’t conjecture about how realistic these plans are, I will say that I was very excited about the focus of his speech. Orzag firmly stated that “closing the IT gap is perhaps the single most important step we can take in creating a more efficient and responsive government.” I could not agree more.
He then broke down how far behind government has fallen, stating,
Both the public and private sectors productivity growth were matched through 1987. But the private sector’s growth rose by 1.5 percent annually through 1995, while the public sector grew by only 0.4 percent per year. As the private sector’s productivity took off again after 1995, the public sector lagged behind.
Amusingly, Orzag followed this statement by noting that he can’t provide recent statistics because the Bureau of Labor Statistics stopped collecting these statistics due to budget cuts. This seems to demonstrate the disconnect between budget cuts and efficiency. Thankfully, we’ve known for years that technology is responsible for increases in productivity. But even more important than the gains from new technology is the productivity gained when lots of people know how to use it.
While Orzag emphasizes physical technology (i.e., old computers), I am equally concerned that federal workers have their hands tied by the usage of technology. The federal government is only very slowly beginning to use social networking to its full advantage. Concerns over privacy, messaging, and security are holding federal employees back. A great example of this stoppage lies with an intern at the EPA who posted on a private blog about the benefits of vegetarianism. She was attacked by officials at the Department of Agriculture and those in the meat industry. Speaking as a blogger and as a citizen, I think the real step toward “closing the IT gap” needs to include the creation of a political environment that both promotes government transparency and empowers government workers to use the web without fear.
