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Do What Works
Smarter Government, Better ResultsBy Unknown AuthorNarrated by Eleanor Caudill, Rex AndersonLength5h 17m
About this audiobook
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 communities across the country where that's happening right now. Denver, Colorado, set an ambitious goal of getting one thousand unhoused residents off the streets and achieved it in less than a year. Mississippi followed proven evidence to help students learn to read and saw its test scores rise faster than any other state's 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.
Written 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. Contributors to the book include:
Wes Moore (D-Maryland)
Governor
Mike DeWine (R-Ohio)
Governor
Tate Reeves (R-Mississippi)
Congressman
Greg Landsman (D-Ohio)
Congressman
Rudy Yakym (R-Indiana)
Peter Orszag, former Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (Obama)
John Bridgeland, former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council (G. W. Bush)
Ambassador and former Mayor
Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago)
Mayor
Mike Johnston (D-Denver)
Mayor
Randall Woodfin (D-Birmingham)
Mayor
Monroe Nichols (D-Tulsa)
Former Mayor
G.T. Bynum (R-Tulsa)
Mayor
Matt Mahan (D-San José)
Carey Wright, former Mississippi Superintendent of Education
Tennessee Commissioner of Education
Lizzette Reynolds
Assemblymember
Amanda Septimo (D-New York)
Commissioner
Leslie Meyer (R-Audrain County, Missouri)
Lisa Morrison Butler, former Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services
Rosanne Haggerty, President and CEO of Community Solutions
Jennifer Blatz, CEO of StriveTogether
Alan Cohen, Founder and CEO of the Child Poverty Action Lab
Todd Williams, Chairman and CEO of the Commit Partnership
Plinio Ayala, CEO of Per Scholas
Do What Works is edited by Michele Jolin and David Medina, the Co-Founders of Results for America, a national nonprofit whose bestselling book,
Moneyball for Government, inspired governments across the country to shift billions of dollars to more effective solutions.
Audiobook details
GenrePolitics and Government
Length5 hrs 17 mins
Narrated byEleanor Caudill, Rex Anderson
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateSep 29, 2026
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Dowhatworkscredits
10Dowhatworksch 08
2Dowhatworksintroduction
11Dowhatworksch 09
3Dowhatworksch 01
12Dowhatworksch 10
4Dowhatworksch 02
13Dowhatworksch 11
5Dowhatworksch 03
14Dowhatworksch 12
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6Dowhatworksch 04
15Dowhatworksch 13
7Dowhatworksch 05
16Dowhatworksconclusion
8Dowhatworksch 06
17Dowhatworksendcredits
9Dowhatworksch 07