Is Efficient Government an Oxymoron?

Can constructive critics offer any hope for the improvement of productivity in the public sector? President Clinton obviously thought so when he incorporated "reinventing government" into his campaign platform, and when he instructed Vice President Gore to fulfill that promise by conducting a National Performance Review (NPR)." This Comment critiques the NPR Report and an accompanying document, Improving Regulatory Systems. The overriding purpose of the NPR is to create a government that is more efficient or, in the words of the report, that "works better and costs less."" Many American businesses have met this challenge. It remains to be seen whether the federal government can emulate their successes.