USC Bedrosian Center Names Best and Worst of 2013

LOS ANGELES - Jan. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise (http://bedrosian.usc.edu/), a University of Southern California research center that promotes effective governance at all levels, has selected the legacy of Nelson Mandela and the launch of the ObamaCare website as the 2013 Best and Worst in Governance.

The pair of recognitions -- which refer to the functioning of government, not necessarily public scandal, elections, politics or partisanship – were selected by Bedrosian Center leaders.

“What Mandela accomplished in the building of today’s South Africa was nothing short of astounding,” said Bedrosian Center Director Raphael Bostic, himself a federal government veteran who served for three years as assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Bostic, who is also a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, oversees the selection of the USC Bedrosian Center’s Best and Worst in Governance. He points out that Mandela is being honored for the example he left behind.

“His leadership brought together disparate interests and drove progress. His management ensured functionality through very turbulent times. His on-going stately demeanor established credibility and laid the groundwork for his successors. Every leader, public or private, can learn from his example.”

On the opposite end of the governance spectrum, the Bedrosian Center chose the launch of the ObamaCare website as the year’s worst example of governance.

“It was widely known that building the website was going to be a very difficult task, but the rollout went far worse than anyone could have imagined. There were management and communications breakdowns at every level, from the staff at HHS who managed poorly and failed to alert leadership about the magnitude of the problems right on up to the White House, whose surprise suggests they clearly weren’t on top of this thing in the months prior to the website going live. For this to happen with such a high priority and high profile project is a disaster,” Bostic said.

Beginning this year, the recognition of Best and Worst in Governance will become a monthly recognition. January’s honorees will be announced in early February. The admittedly non-scientific effort will gather nominations from students, alumni, faculty and the public at http://bedrosian.usc.edu/. From the nominations, a panel of experts led by Bostic will debate and select the monthly Best and Worst in Governance. January’s honorees will be announced in early February and receive automatic consideration for the year-end 2014 Best and Worst in Governance.