John Donahue

Raymond Vernon Lecturer in Public Policy
Strengthen Learning and Teaching Excellence
Director
Weil Program in Collaborative Governance
Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government
Office Address
Belfer-409
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 98
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-496-1323
Fax: 617-496-0063
Email: jack_donahue@Harvard.Edu
Assistant
Erica Jaffe (617-496-0587)
John Donahue

Profile

John D. Donahue is the Raymond Vernon Lecturer in Public Policyand faculty chair of the HKS Case Program and the SLATE teaching 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 ten books, including Disunited States (1997), The Privatization Decision (1989, with four translations 1990-92) and most recently,The Warping of Government Work(2008). 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.

Courses

Fall

  • MLD-101-C Strategy, Structure, and Leadership in Public Service Organizations

Spr Mod4

  • BGP-257M Procurement, Privatization, and Partnerships

Year

  • BGP-510Y HKS-HBS Joint Degree First- and Second- Year Seminar

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:

  • Academic Journals
    • Donahue, John D. "The Other Invisible Hand: Delivering Public Services through Choice and Competition." Social Service Review 82.4 (December 2008): 762-765.
  • Magazine and Newspaper Articles
    • Donahue, John D. "The Right Kind of Accountability." Governing.com (Governing Magazine). April 16, 2008.
    • Donahue, John D. "What Government Does." Governing.com (Governing Magazine). July 23, 2008.
    • Donahue, John D., and Max Steir. "The Next FEMA." Washington Monthly. November/December 2008.
    • Donahue, John D. "The Upside of the Downturn." Governing.com (Governing Magazine). November 5, 2008.
  • Reviews
    • Donahue, John D. Review of Measuring the Performance of the Hollow State, by David G. Frederickson and H. George Frederickson, and Challenging the Performance Movement: Accountability, Complexity, and Democratic Values, by Beryl A. Radin. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 27.3, June 2008.