Election Q&A with Don Kettl

Don Kettl, the Robert A. Fox Professor of Leadership in the Department of Political Science and the Fels Institute of Government, is an expert on public policy and public administration. He has consulted broadly for government organizations at all levels, in the United States and abroad, and he is a regular columnist for Governing magazine, which is read by state and local government officials around the country. 

Kettl has done extensive work analyzing the management challenges facing the next president. Some of his reports on this topic can be found on thenextgovernment.com, the website for the Fels Transition Project, which aims to identify, research and analyze candidates' management proposals during the 2008 presidential campaign. His new book, The Next Government of the United States, will be published late this fall.

In this interactive video Q&A, Kettl answers questions about the 2008 presidential and vice presidential candidates’ experience and about the challenges they face.

How do John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s previous experience relate to the presidency?

How effective are the candidates’ campaign strategies in convincing voters about their leadership abilities?

It’s debate time. What should we be looking for?