Innovative State: How New Technologies Can Transform Government

by Aneesh Chopra

In Innovative State, America's first Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra tells the story of a new revolution in America. Over the course of our history, America has had a pioneering government matched to the challenges of the day. But over the past twenty years, as our economy and our society have been completely changed by technology, and the private sector has innovated, government has stalled, trapped in models that were designed for the America of the past. Aneesh Chopra, tasked with leading the charge for a more open, tech-savvy government, here shows how we can reshape our government and tackle our most vexing problems, from economic development to affordable healthcare. Drawing on interviews with leaders and building on his firsthand experience, Chopra's Innovative State is a fascinating look at how to be smart, do more with less, and reshape American government for the twenty-first century.

Praise for Aneesh Chopra

“As the federal government's first Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century. Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records. His legacy of leadership and innovation will benefit Americans for years to come."
--President Barack Obama

“Aneesh built one of the best technology platforms in government in the state of Virginia.”
--Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google

“Chopra has been one of those who have taught me the most about how we can build a better government with the help of technology…. Aneesh Chopra is a rock star. He's a brilliant, thoughtful change-maker. He knows technology, he knows government, and he knows how to put the two together to solve real problems.”
--Tim O’Reilly, chairman of O’Reilly Media

“I've worked with Aneesh for a (couple of) years, and bear witness that he's the real deal, and has done a lot for the country, serving citizens well and providing a good return for the taxpayer dollar. In sum, he's helped connect entrepreneurs to our government in a spirit that makes you feel like we can invent our way out of our nation's biggest challenges.”
--Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist

“He’s done a great job, enthusiastically talking about the role of technology and reinventing government, and how you open up this data to other people, but also been a great advocate and partner in a lot of their entrepreneurial initiative.”
--Steve Case, co-founder of AOL

“His work, both in Virginia and Federal, has helped advance open government.”
--Eric Cantor, House (Republican) Majority Leader

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Technology, Politics, Government

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2013

Reviews

[Dave Burns · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a story here that needs to be understood, but it is not well told. Too much dry history and self-congratulation. I am tempted to just give up, but the topic is important enough that I am going to try to skim instead. This book fits the category of "I want to have read it, I don't want to read it."

I don't see any other reviews. Is that because no one has actually been able to read it? I will try to start at the beginning and add some crib notes to this review as I skim. In the mean time,

Kirkus reviewed it: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
Another review: http://ssir.org/book_reviews/entry/go...

Chopra sought to make government information more accessible by the public and to make better use of crowd sourcing. These are worthwhile ideas, but not very ambitious. He has no vision of a more dynamic government that responds to the concerns of the public. I would have liked to see an analysis of the role of government and the opportunities to use technology to improve the government's ability to fulfill that role. And while we're at it, how about an analysis of how technology is enabling government to transgress its proper boundaries? I suppose that is too ambitious, both for what Chopra was tasked to do for Obama and so for what his book can describe.

The chapter about Chopra's experience in Virginia is full of successes, but they are the sort of success you get from saying, "Dude, use the Internet."

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but ultimately, I don't think I'm the audience for which it was intended. I went into this book as a historian who studies technology policies. I'm used to gritty details and endless numbers. More frustratingly than refreshingly, this account has neither. Instead, Chopra's point is to show how his contributions fall in line with what he argues is a legacy (albeit not a consistent one) of the US adopting "new" technologies to transform the way government can work more efficiently and effectively through partnerships with private businesses. He does this in a manner that is much like reading a 243-page resume of his time in government.

Is this a useful look at how government leaders can adopt policies conducive to technological innovation? Maybe. Can it provide examples of how inefficient technology can hamper governmental goals? Definitely. Is it a book that asks hard questions about the types of technologies governments can adopt? Well, probably not. But I don't think that's the point of this book -- although I wish it had been.

[Bill Saltarelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was begging for this book to be over. Why? Aneesh Chopra, the once CTO of the USA has a great vision but with the healthcare.gov fiasco as well as the identifying the Veterans association information technology healthcare needs, I was looking for his insight and plan for the future. This book doesn't lay the groundwork and plans for change. It only conceptualized where we should be heading and not changes that must be made.

I do have a insight on how the Government works and how the political machine used technology to advance elections as well as local towns used technology by helping the public with many forms and databases. America has a long way to go regarding the advancement of their technology infrastructure. Lets hope we implement these changes soon. Our success depends on it.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This provides a good vision of the power of open government data to enable private-public partnerships to solve a number of issues.

It gives hope that government can work better.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the early days of the Obama administration there was a lot of optimism in just the tech sector of the economy. The author talks about their personal efforts to import that optimism and experience to make vast improvements throughout the government. In particular they discuss improvements to the healthcare industry at the same time as other political reforms.

Since the book's publication, it's easy to see how much of that optimism didn't pan out exactly as promised. Still, some things are better. It's just hard to get past their unfound optimism.

[Jowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author emphasized the importance of having an innovation pipeline and how it must be managed in the long run. He also shared four "key-principles" to enable governments to harness innovation to improve the services rendered to the public and reduce costs. There are also a lot of real-life examples which is important to drive the author's point.

[Jim Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aneesh Chopra offers four ways government can innovate in today's world, based on his experience as America's first Chief Technology Officer at the White House. These ideas include: Open Data, Standards and Convening, Prizes and Challenges, and Lean Government Startups. All of these build upon the same idea of redesigning government so that it functions like a modern company rather than an intractable bureaucracy. Getting away from traditional programs of procurement that essentially begin with a wish list then throw money at the program. Innovative solutions can be found by sourcing the problem out to a number of stakeholders, including the public in many cases, and see what fresh ideas can be found. In a new age of technology the entire concept of top down bureaucracy has had its inefficiencies exposed in a way that the public can no longer accept. There are more efficient models out there now that can be supported by new technologies, and our government must begin to make full use of them; and, in fact, Chopra details many of the ways that this is already occurs. But therein lies the flaw of this book, because it relies so much upon anecdotal evidence. Partly that is because many of the techniques and technologies being used are very new and their long term effectiveness cannot yet be demonstrated. In the end though, this is a topic and a book that gives one hope as to the future of government and the role that technology will play in shaping it.

[Lance Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aneesh Chopra is among several books out in the last several years that highlights how technology, when leveled appropriately could overwhelmingly transform our government and make it work smarter while simultaneously making it significantly less expensive. Throughout his book, he offers ample examples that he has encountered in the writing of this book as well as many that he was involved with personally. He identifies reasons and strategies for improving government service with a variety of tools that are proving successful on the local, state, and national level. In the end, the book proves inspiring and insightful about a better and more useful path for citizenry and government that is less dominated by the simplistic politics of political parties and more successful with doing and getting results.

If you enjoyed this review, feel free to check out my other reviews and writings at By Any Other Nerd /

[Jill Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aneesh Chopra offers four ways government can innovate in today's world, based on his experience as CTO in the Obama White House. These are (1) Open Data (2) Standards and Convening (3) Prizes and Challenges and (4) Lean (Gov't) Startups. The book is heavy on anecdotal evidence and light on the empirical. However, Aneesh's proposals resonate with me from my personal experience with technology, entrepreneurship and design thinking at the DC government level and I am encouraged that these strategies/tactics are getting some attention.

Easy read, even for those new to technology. Includes a nice history lesson in government innovation as well. Recommend.

[Mike Bloomberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

BORINGG

I bought this book at Powell's in Portland and sold it back 4 days later. The first few chapters were okay, talking about the author's background and the move to incorporating tech into gov't but the rest was just awful. It read much more like a crappy self-promoting book that a potential presidential candidate would publish. If anything the lack of real innovation explained in the book makes me more worried about our Govt's technical prowess.

Recommended for: The author's close family and people who have trouble sleeping at night.

[Leland William · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but if you can't hook me in 60 pages, I'm moving on. Reads more like a political biography than a serious take on technological reform in the public sector.