John D. Donahue

Raymond Vernon Senior Lecturer in Public Policy
Faculty Chair, MPP Program and SLATE Curriculum Initiative
Degree Programs
Office Address
Littauer-106
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 67
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-496-1323
Fax: 617-496-0063
Email: jack_donahue@Harvard.Edu
Assistant
Erica Jaffe Redner (617-496-0587)
John Donahue

Profile

John D. Donahue is the Raymond Vernon Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Faculty Chair of both the MPP Program and the SLATE curriculum initiative. His teaching, writing, and research mostly deal with public sector reform and with the distribution of public responsibilities across levels of government and sectors of the economy, including extensive work with the HKS-HBS joint degree program. He has written or edited twelve books, most recently The Warping of Government Work (2008) and Collaborative Governance (with Richard J. Zeckhauser, 2011). He served in the first Clinton Administration as an Assistant Secretary and then as Counselor to the Secretary of Labor. Donahue has consulted for business and governmental organizations, including the National Economic Council, the World Bank, and the RAND Corporation, and serves as a trustee or advisor to several nonprofits. A native of Indiana, he holds a BA from Indiana University and an MPP and PhD from Harvard.

Media Expertise

John Donahue welcomes media inquiries on the following subjects:

Additional experts may be found by clicking on each subject listed. You may contact faculty directly or if you need assistance contact the Communications Office at 617-495-1115.

Research

For a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Books
    • Donahue, John D. and Richard J. Zeckhauser. Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals in Turbulent Times. Princeton University Press, 2011.
  • Commentary
    • Donahue, John D., and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Why Smart Business Wants Strong Government." Bloomberg Government, May 24, 2011.
    • Donahue, John D., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Beyond Big or Small Government." National Journal, May 17, 2011.
    • Donahue, John D., and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Learn a Lesson in Collaboration from Green Bay's 'Cheeseheads'." CNN.com, February 05, 2011.
    • Donahue, John D. "Crisis and Innovation: Let the Bad Times Roll." Governing, June 30, 2010.
    • Donahue, John D. "Seeing Through Transparency." Governing, February 3, 2010.
  • Magazine and Newspaper Articles
    • Donahue, John D., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Collaborative Governance." Milkin Institute Review. July 2011.
    • Donahue, John D. "The Real Stakes of Getting Tough with Public Workers." Government Finance Review. April 2011.