I read this book over ten years ago while pursuing my doctorate at Vanderbilt. It still echoes in my mind. Written more than 35 years ago, the late Professor Deutsch outlined a cybernetic model of government in which measurements almost leap from the page. Essentially a treatise on organizational communication and coordination, I found myself searching for it again as I encountered the real-world difficulties of coordination in a large, complex bureaucracy. In these days of strategic planning and performance benchmarks, this book should be re-examined for its insights and potential for providing measures of administrative and organizational effectiveness.

Sometimes compared to David Easton's more famous text, A Systems Analysis of Political Life, The Nerves of Government is far more intense and stimulating. It's one of the best books I've ever read and I envy anyone with a copy.

Joe Adams, Ph.D., Director for Planning, Texas Workforce Commission