Recoding America
Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlkaby Jennifer Pahlka
Shares rank 65 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People recommend it as a thorough look at why government technology projects fail and how institutions shape outcomes, with examples from the IRS and VA.
People recommend it as a thorough look at why government technology projects fail and how institutions shape outcomes, with examples from the IRS and VA.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Thorough treatment of institutional technology behavior
“gives an extremely thorough treatment to institutional behaviors re: technology and effectiveness”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “AI Destroys Institutions” Explains dysfunctions still hurting government tech
“The challenges and fundamental dysfunctions it describes are still the primary headwinds to effective US government use of technology today”
Comment from 3 Oct 2026 in “From Civic Tech to DOGE: The Role of Tech Movements in the American Admin State” Discusses IRS and VA IT systems
“This book discusses the IT systems at the IRS and VA and shows the kind of push back you can expect from entrenched players.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “US Tech Force” Insightful author and analysis
“Jennifer Pahlka's really insightful Recoding America”
Comment from 12 Jul 2026 in “How to Read More Books”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Recoding Americaby Jennifer PahlkaThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The challenges and fundamental dysfunctions it describes are still the primary headwinds to effective US government use of technology today”
“Jennifer Pahlka's really insightful Recoding America”
“gives an extremely thorough treatment to institutional behaviors re: technology and effectiveness”
“This book discusses the IT systems at the IRS and VA and shows the kind of push back you can expect from entrenched players.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.