Excerpt from new Polity book
An excerpt from my book Can Government Do Anything Right? can be downloaded here. The book will be published in 2018. Pre-order on Amazon.
Dec 7
Review of “America’s First Great Depression”
The White Coat Investor reviews my book America’s First Great Depression. “The book is a fascinating study of a difficult time in American financial history and I cannot recommend it enough.” Read the review.
Back cover for “Can Government Do Anything Right?”
Back cover for “Can Government Do Anything Right?”, to be published by Polity Books in 2018.
Interview about “Can Government Do Anything Right?”
I’ve recorded a short interview with the Centre for Public Impact about my forthcoming book from Polity, Can Government Do Anything Right?. Listen to the interview here. I also talk about transparency in trust in government.
Pre-order “Can Government Do Anything Right?”
Can Government Do Anything Right? (Polity, 2018) is now available for pre-order on Amazon.
Final commentary for Governance: Our Asian challenge
Bob Cox and I will conclude our terms as co-editors of Governance at the end of 2017. Each of us have written close-out commentaries. Mine is titled “Our Asian challenge.” The PDF of the commentary can be downloaded here.
Article in PPMG: Reviving the classical approach to PA
My article “The Aims of Public Administration: Reviving the Classical View” has just been published in Perspectives on Public Management and Governance. Free access here.
Talk at Rutgers transparency conference
I gave opening remarks at the Transparency Research Workshop hosted by the Institute on Transparency and Governance in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University Newark on September 22.
Address to International Conference of Information Commissioners
I gave the keynote speech to the International Conference of Information Commissioners in Manchester, UK on September 20, 2017. The title was “Defending the open society.” Text for the talk available here. The meeting was hosted by the UK Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, and the Scottish Information Commissioner, Rosemary Agnew. More information about the conference here.
Fiorina, Medvic, Flinders comment on “Can Government Do Anything Right?”
Comments on Can Government Do Anything Right?, forthcoming from Polity Books in January 2018:
“This contrarian work is a welcome corrective to the doom and gloom commentary that is so common today. Not only that, it’s a good read as well. It will get an intensive workout in college seminars.” — Morris P. Fiorina, Stanford University
“Governing, particularly in democracies, is difficult and often frustrating work. In this vital new book, Alasdair Roberts explains why by identifying the multiple constraints imposed on political leaders. More importantly, he makes a convincing case that, over time, Western governments have successfully adapted to these constraints and have been largely effective at addressing the challenges they face. At a time when so many citizens are disenchanted with their governments, the argument in this book deserves a wide audience.” — Stephen K. Medvic, Franklin & Marshall College
“In a world dominated by narratives of democratic crisis and decline Alasdair Roberts reveals the innate complexities of modern governance and political statecraft. In a book that is as clear and accessible as it is intellectually thoughtful and provocative, Roberts offers a positive and optimistic account of contemporary politics. It offers an energising breadth of fresh air in what is otherwise a fairly gloomy scholarly space.” — Matthew Flinders, University of Sheffield, President of the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom.
Alasdair S. Roberts 
