Description

‘This humane, accessible and lucid work will enlighten any voter, and remind any would-be – or currently serving – politician of the pitfalls to avoid’ – TLS

Barely a week goes by without another government U-turn and with the cost of living crisis and rising mortgage rates we really need those in charge to get it right. In this timely book Cambridge Professor Dennis C. Grube explores the pitfalls, failures and successes of those in power around the world.

‘A must-read’ – Sebastian Payne
‘Convincing’ – David Lammy MP

We live in an era when we really need governments to be effective – the economy, our health and the future of the planet are at stake – but so often they can seem clueless, and their decisions leave us confused. With insight and wit, Grube explains how governments can improve their decision-making and by examining fascinating case studies he highlights the key factors that make for effective government. With the stakes higher than ever before, this original and important book is an essential read for any concerned citizen who wants to understand why governments make the wrong decisions and, crucially, what can be done about it.

‘Highly original and very entertaining’ – Gavin Esler
‘There is a real gap for this book’ – Isabel Hardman

Publisher Review

Insightful . . . A timely book with accessibly provocative arguments -- Steve Richards, author of The Prime Ministers We Never Had A fascinating and timely look at how government decisions affect our lives and how those in charge can do much better. A must-read -- Sebastian Payne, author of Broken Heartlands Engaging and accessible -- Ivor Crewe, co-author of The Blunders of Our Governments There is a real gap for this book . . . international in scope and non-partisan -- Isabel Hardman, author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians Highly original and very entertaining . . . This is the book Boris Johnson should have read before he promised to 'Get Brexit Done' -- Gavin Esler, author of How Britain Ends From the pandemic to the climate crisis, we are living in an era of historic policy-making. Dennis Grube's convincing book teaches all of us how governments get decisions wrong and what we have to do to get them right -- David Lammy MP