Growth and renewal will be critical if the United States budget and economy are to stabilize and thrive. In this university podcast, McKinsey senior partner Lenny Mendonca discusses the role the federal budget plays in helping or hindering research, development, and private innovation. He also outlines what activity will be needed at the national level to stimulate the kind of economy we need. What are the opportunities for building on what’s been done already? What is the role of the regulatory and business environment? How does energy productivity enter into the equation? The event “Demystifying DC: Is America Ungovernable?” was organized by the Public Management Initiative (PMI) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Sponsored by the school’s Center for Social Innovation’s Public Management Program, PMI students select one topic to explore in detail throughout the academic year and engage the school community in discussion and debate.

Lenny Mendonca is a director (senior partner) in the San Francisco office of McKinsey & Company, Inc., where he leads the firm’s knowledge development. He is on McKinsey’s Shareholders’ Council, oversees the firm’s communications, and is chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute. Mendonca has written and spoken extensively on globalization, corporate social responsibility, economic development, regulation, education, energy policy, healthcare, financial services, and corporate strategy. He is also the founder and owner of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company in California. He received his MBA and a certificate in public management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and holds an AB, magna cum laude, in economics from Harvard College.