Our Mission

We believe that the US federal government needs serious reform. On this website, we hope to outline a plan that will effectively advance the government’s mission within the American tradition of the rule of law.

Reform for Results begins with the premise that the foremost goal for reform ought to be building the executive branch’s capacity to accomplish the objectives defined by Congress and enacted in law. While federal agencies have at times acted beyond their legislative mandates, we do not believe that government dysfunction is fundamentally due to out-of-control bureaucrats. The problem is rather different: most agencies are over-controlled; public officials must comply with thousands of detailed rules, many of which are outdated and unnecessary. They are often not permitted to use good judgment and common sense in their decision-making. Public servants are rewarded for rule compliance rather than for producing real-world results for the public.

There have been several previous efforts to reform the bureaucracy, most recently the Reinventing Government initiative of the Clinton Administration. While some of these earlier efforts did lead to genuine change, their overall impact remains marginal. Today, it is crucial to acknowledge that the potential for significant change is much greater, as the public is increasingly aware of the importance of a government that is being dismantled. The imperative for real change is compelling.

Our Group

Reform for Results was initially organized in April 2024 as the “Protect and Reform Our Civil Service” working group. It is currently hosted at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). The group consists of people with deep knowledge and expertise in how the US federal government works, and includes administrative lawyers, public administration experts, and former high officials, many of whom have been directly involved in previous reform efforts. (Please see the statement of the working group here). Reform for Results plans to publish analysis and policy papers over the coming months.

Our Focus

In ancient Egypt, there was the story of the Phoenix, which rose from the ashes of its predecessor. In our Project Phoenix, we know  that we can learn from what’s been tried in the past and what we need to fix, so that the nation can build a better strategy of governance that serves the needs of the people even better. 

Our initial focus will be on four areas where we believe serious de-regulation of public agencies must begin:

Budget Process Reform – Since the passage of the Budget Act of 1974, continuing resolutions (CR) have been needed in all but three years. The last fiscal year in which no CR was enacted was 1997. While we cannot predict what form the Budget Process Reforms will take, we are committed to working with Congress and the Executive Branch to examine multiple solutions and craft new legislation and regulations that will advance the efficient development and execution of the budget. Please see our Budget Process Working Group’s manifesto here.

Personnel Reform – Like the budget process, the last major overhaul of the federal government’s human capital system came with the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. Since then, we have debated practices in hiring, classification, pay, dismissal of poor performers, and the role of public employee unions. The Personnel Reform group is committed to identifying the precise nature of problems and proposing both legislative and other solutions to create and maintain an effective workforce guided by merit principles.

Procurement Reform – “The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) consists of over 2,000 pages in its hard-copy form. It is organized into 53 parts across 37 chapters within Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)18.

The complexity of procurement regulation and implementation was called a “Valley of Death” by the Defense Innovation Board in a 2023 report. The Procurement Reform group will seek ways to reform procurement processes in both civilian and defense areas with the assistance of experts in both areas.

Regulatory Reform – Regulatory Reform is a vast area spread across substantive legislation and procedural requirements. Deregulation is not just about removing government interference in citizen’s lives; it also involves enabling the government to function effectively, with proper oversight from elected branches. Sometimes, laws specify the regulations in detail, while in other cases, agencies need to establish or improve regulations to implement statutes. Many regulations cut across agencies and create multiple barriers for policy development and program implementation. These regulations are particularly damaging in the area of infrastructure, where it has become extremely difficult to build a host of government-funded programs, including transmission lines, affordable housing, and alternative energy. Reform for Results intends to target restrictive permitting requirements that prevent Americans from building things and demonstrate sensible reforms to make the process work better.

Resources for Reform

A dedicated group of skilled and motivated individuals forms the core of Reform for Results. They have been organized into teams to work on these projects. To advance the task of Reform for Results, we will seek additional support in the areas mentioned above and others that may be identified as we move forward.