The Government Fix: How to innovate in government, by Sara Hudson and Hana Schank

When it comes to redesigning how government functions, most of the common assumptions about innovation don’t hold up. Hana Schank and Sara Hudson conducted nearly 70 interviews with people inside of government at the federal, state, county and city level, to understand the common threads for successful innovation projects. They found that innovation at its most basic level has nothing to do with what is typically called “innovative.” Instead, they discovered who the real change-makers are, what successful projects look like, and why redesigning government can sometimes feel so very hard. In this book, they share what they’ve learned about how to truly make change. 

Hana Schank is a public interest technology fellow at New America. She was previously a director at the United States Digital Service at the Department of Homeland Security, and has worked in government at both the city and federal level. Prior to moving into the public sector, Hana ran a user experience design and research consultancy for 15 years. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the author of two books.

Sara Hudson, PhD is a writer, researcher, and public interest technologist. She previously led teams at the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the City of New Orleans Office of Information Technology and Innovation, and the Department of Justice. A FEMA-trained emergency manager, she created NOLA Ready, New Orleans’ centralized emergency response systems post-Katrina, and subsequently led New Orleans’ emergency communications response and data triage during disasters and public safety incidents.