Capacity for what? Elon Musk’s DOGE, public value destruction and the darkside of policy capacity

PurposeThis paper addresses a missing element in Wu et al.’s (2015) ninefold policy capacity framework: the ‘capacity for what’ question. Specifically, it explores the objectives toward which policy capacities are directed, focusing on how government capabilities and competencies can be utilized to either create or destroy public value.Design/methodology/approachThrough a literature review, the paper establishes the connections between public value and policy capacity. An illustrative case of value destruction, specifically, the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) experience during the early second term of the Trump administration, is used to demonstrate how policy capacity can be deployed to dismantle as well as create public value.FindingsThe paper finds that outcome achievement, trust, service delivery quality, and efficiency were all negatively impacted by DOGE’s four key activities: de-regulation, workforce reduction, program cuts, and cutting advisory committees. These activities required policy capacities to exist and be deployed in the same way as is done with public value creation.Originality/valuePublic value creation — integrating substantive value, legitimacy, and operational feasibility — provides a valuable framework for reshaping policies, but it can also lead to value destruction. This perspective prompts a critical examination of the objectives behind administrative actions and encourages analysts and commentators to avoid assuming that high government capacity is always advantageous.