Government by Investigation: Congress, Presidents, and the Search for Answers, 1945?2012

by Paul C. Light

Overview

"Paul C. Light examines and evaluates the 100 most significant investigations of policy failures, bureaucratic mistakes, and personal misconduct undertaken by the U.S. federal government between 1945 and 2012. Launched by Congress or the president, sometimes by both at the same time, the investigations at the core of this book were driven by the search for answers about significant breakdowns in government performance. Light reveals which investigations were most effective, and why.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815722687
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/22/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

"Paul C. Light is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. His many books include Driving Social Change: How to Solve the World's Toughest Problems and A Government Ill Executed: The Decline of the Federal Service and How to Reverse It. He is also a coauthor of Government by the People, now in its 24th edition."

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

1 Introducing the Search for Answers 1

2 Counting Investigations 11

3 Creating Footprints 56

4 Making Investigations Count 126

5 Creating High-Impact Investigations 191

Appendixes

A Interview Respondents 217

B Sources 221

C Investigation Resumes, 1945-2012 225

D Supporting Statistical Analysis 249

Notes 269

Index 303

Editorial Reviews

"Written by one of this country's preeminent experts on the federal government, Paul Light's Government by Investigation is essential reading for investigators who seek better government."—Lee H.Hamilton, former U.S. representative; director, The Center on Congress at Indiana University

"Paul Light has done the nearly impossible, but the extraordinarily valuable. Government by Investigation is a must-read for anyone who works in the Congress, or cares about whether the Congress is performing its oversight duties well."—Danielle Brian, executive director, Project on Government Oversight

"An impressive, prodigious achievement."—David R. Mayhew, Sterling Professor, Yale University

"Paul Light's book will serve as the new bible for congressional investigations. He cogently separates partisan witch hunts from groundbreaking investigatory hearings that mattered. This is a must-read for political junkies and serious policy wonks alike."—Tom Davis, former U.S. representative

From the Publisher