Do What Works

A must-read book for every leader-and every American-who insists that their government deliver better results

Broken. Ineffective. Dysfunctional. Those are the words Americans often use to describe the government they pay for and depend upon to meet some of their most basic needs.

But what if governments routinely delivered better results? What if government leaders invested in more effective solutions that improved lives and saved taxpayer dollars?

Do What Works shares stories of progress and impact from across the country where that's happening right now. Denver set an ambitious goal of getting one thousand unhoused residents off the streets and achieved it in just a year. Mississippi followed proven evidence to help students learn to read and saw its test scores rise faster than any other state in the country. Birmingham, Alabama, borrowed a promising early literacy program from Providence, Rhode Island, and tripled the chances its youngest kids would be ready for kindergarten.

Told by governors, mayors, legislators, and other leaders of both parties who are testing bold solutions and using data to improve results, these inspiring essays offer a blueprint for how governments everywhere can solve urgent challenges and rebuild public trust.

Edited by Michele Jolin and David Medina, the Co-Founders of Results for America, a national nonprofit whose national bestseller, Moneyball for Government, inspired hundreds of governments to shift billions of dollars to more effective solutions.