Equitable Growth event highlights the path forward to rebuild the U.S. administrative state

Microsoft Copilot helped draft this column.

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth recently convened scholars, practitioners, and advocates for an Equitable Growth Presents event, titled “Reimagining the Federal Government: Building Capacity for a Democratic Future.” The discussion explored how to rebuild and modernize U.S. governance amid unprecedented challenges—and why doing so is essential for democracy and broadly shared economic growth.

Opening the event, Korin Davis, Equitable Growth’s director of academic programs, underscored the stakes. Federal institutions—from labor boards to statistical agencies—are being dismantled through budget cuts, mass layoffs, and threats to their independence from the executive. These developments, Davis warned, jeopardize not only democratic norms, but also economic growth and the government’s ability to deliver for Americans.

Davis then emphasized that the challenges to these democratic norms also may create an opportunity to design a 21st century government that is responsive, democratic, and effective. She highlighted Equitable Growth’s longstanding efforts to bridge academia and policy, from funding research to creating pathways for scholars to serve in government.

Diagnosing the governance crisis and charting a path forward

The audience then heard from K. Sabeel Rahman, a professor at Cornell Law School and former head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Biden administration. His keynote framed the current moment as a reactionary vision of U.S. society marked by three troubling trends:

• Dismantling of government: Hollowing out federal agencies and social insurance programs through legislative cuts to federal agency funding, mass civil servant firings, and attempts to unwind investments in clean energy and consumer protections
• Weaponization of the state: Expanding coercive state powers, including politicized enforcement and surveillance from federal agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the White House Department of Government Efficiency
• Personalization of power: Unconstitutionally centralizing authority in the presidency, eroding checks and balances, and enabling arbitrary decision-making

Rahman noted decades of underinvestment, outdated systems, and judicial constraints that have hobbled government capacity as underlying these three trends and called for a bold, three-part agenda to address these issues. First, he recommended building state capacity and governance structures that can effectively tackle modern challenges, such as climate change, economic inequality, and the growing tech oligarchy that creates massive concentration of economic power.

Next, Rahman argued, as he has elsewhere, for containing the current authoritarian slide that undermines U.S. democracy, including pushing back on the massive surveillance apparatus in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has enabled the immigration raids and detailed tracking of targets that we see today. And lastly, he urged a return to democratic policymaking through meaningful public participation and responsive-yet-effective governance. Rahman urged attendees to think about engaging voters more and better so they regain trust in government’s ability to provide services to Americans and address their concerns.

From vision to implementation: How to rebuild the administrative state

The event then featured a panel discussion, moderated by Equitable Growth’s Associate Director of Academic Programs Christian Edlagan and featuring Rahman alongside Zach Liscow, a professor at Yale Law School, and Kyleigh Russ, director of Democracy Works 250 at Democracy Forward. Their conversation moved from diagnosis to practical strategies for reform.

Liscow kicked things off by emphasizing that rebuilding government effectiveness requires tackling two core problems: excessive procedural hurdles and insufficient government resources, including personnel. He cited his own research on U.S. infrastructure, showing that the cost to build interstate highways tripled between the 1960s and 1980s for no apparent reason aside from laws that required more costly procurement and construction methods.

He then raised his research on investing in high-quality workers who can carry out government projects the most effectively. His studies find that focusing more on quality—by recruiting top talent, making hiring easier, and paying higher wages—more than pays for itself, even though it is perhaps more costly up front.

Russ then focused on people-centered strategies and reforms to rebuild the federal government’s ability to deliver for the American people. She underscored that the Trump administration’s challenges to democratic governance have brought many of these issues to the fore but that they have been brewing for many decades because of past policy choices and a lack of meaningful reform to civil service.

Russ highlighted Democracy Forward’s four-step process for achieving the goal of administrative reform. The organization is embarking on a national listening tour to gather input from Americans and civil servants about what they want from government and how it is—or often is not—showing up for them. They are also working on reimagining workforce policies to create a policy library where ideas for reform can live and be tapped.

The third project is a talent program to attract and recruit the best and brightest Americans to civil service. And the fourth project is a nationwide fellowship program designed to assess what has happened to federal agencies, why it matters, and offer actions and solutions to reverse the damage that the U.S. government has undergone.

Edlagan asked the panelists for specific examples of how these ideas can be put into practice and any lessons that have been learned. Russ mentioned Engaged California, which is a listening tool in the state that allows constituents to explain how policies are landing with them, and the PACT Act of 2022 that substantially expanded veterans’ health care and disability benefits, and was largely based on direct input from veterans on their needs.

Liscow raised two examples of how addressing procedural hurdles and personnel challenges can restore state capacity to support citizens. He discussed Massachusetts’ green line light rail project, which suffered from delays and high costs until former Gov. Charlie Baker simplified the system’s proposed design and hired top talent, paying high salaries to attract quality workers. Liscow also talked about how Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has passed permitting reforms, which have dramatically cut red tape through executive action.

Rahman highlighted federal actions, such as the Federal Trade Commission’s banning of noncompete clauses in 2024, which worked to reduce racial and gender disparities across the economy, from high-skill sectors to low-wage industries—until the agency, under a new FTC chair, vacated the rule in 2025. He explained that despite the common misconception of a trade-off between deep civic engagement or fast-acting government, redesigning institutions can, in fact, help strike more balance.

Audience questions sparked rich discussion on several themes:

• Balancing participation and speed: Rahman and Liscow agreed that early, broad engagement—rather than late-stage lawsuits—can improve administrative legitimacy without slowing progress. Russ added that technology and social media should be leveraged for inclusive, real-time feedback.
• Civil service resilience: Russ emphasized defending existing workers while planning systemic reform, noting the need to merge cultures between long-time staff and new talent. The panelists also agreed that the time to start doing this work of rebuilding the administrative state is now.
• Role of research: Panelists urged scholars to produce actionable, accessible research that delves into both upstream policy design and downstream policy effects. Liscow highlighted the impact of practical papers on implementation, while Russ called for compelling narratives showing why government matters in people’s lives.
• Public-sector unions: The panelists agreed that public-sector unions are necessary and support workers, but that collective bargaining can also make it hard to fire ineffective workers or recruit top outside talent. There is a balance that needs to be struck to ensure good governance is achieved.
• Public trust in expertise: All agreed that academics must communicate clearly, stick to evidence, and pair facts with relatable examples to rebuild credibility.

Looking ahead: Optimism for the future?

Edlagan closed the panel with a request for the panelists to describe the most important first step in achieving a more hopeful vision for the U.S. administrative state in the next governing moment. Russ emphasized the importance of listening and gathering input from civil servants and communities across the country. Liscow urged a focus on implementation rather than high-level policy design to make operations more effective. And Rahman argued for being explicit about what kind of democracy we all want to live in—one in which everyone is treated fairly and equally and has access to the same opportunities.

Watch the full event video on our YouTube page.

Did you find this content informative and engaging?
Get updates and stay in tune with U.S. economic inequality and growth!