John Donahue

Raymond Vernon Lecturer in Public Policy
Curriculum Development and Support
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 Policy and Director of the Weil Program on Collaborative Governance. 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. He has written or edited nine books, including Disunited States (1997), The Privatization Decision (1989, with four translations 1990-92) and most recently, For the People: Can We Fix Public Service? (co-edited with Joseph S. Nye, Jr., 2003). 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

Not Offered

Spring

  • API-500X Spring Exercise
  • STM-101 The Strategic Management of Public Organizations

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

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

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Book Chapters
    • Donahue, John D., and Richard Zeckhauser. "Sharing the Watch: Public-Private Collaboration for Infrastructure Security." Seeds of Disaster, Roots of Response: How Private Action Can Reduce Public Vulnerability. Ed. Philip E. Auerswald, Lewis M. Branscomb, Todd M. La Porte, and Erwann O. Michel-Kerjan. Cambridge University Press, 2006, 429-456.
    • Donahue, John D. "The Unaccustomed Inventiveness of the Labor Department." Innovations in Government: Research, Recognition, and Replication. Ed. Sandford F. Borins. Brookings Institution Press, 2008.
  • Magazine and Newspaper Articles
    • Donahue, John D. "The Labor Department's Strange Stretch of Innovation." Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (September 2007).
    • Donahue, John D. "The End of the End of Government." Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (May 2007).
    • Donahue, John D. "Want to Buy a Used Road?" Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (February 2007).
    • Donahue, John D. "Public Management’s Uncertain Future." Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (November 15, 2006).
    • Donahue, John D. "Government’s Twisted Transformation." Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (September 13, 2006).
    • Donahue, John. D. "Outsourcing Perversity." Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (July 5, 2006).
    • Donahue, John D. "Innovating Against the Odds." Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (April 26, 2006).
    • Donahue, John D. "The Siren Song of 'The Other Thing.'" Governing.com (Governing Magazine) (February 22, 2006).
  • Reviews
    • Donahue, John D. Review of Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water, by Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 5.4 Fall 2007: 75-76.