Government Program Oversight and Accountability

This course surveys the role and function of inspection and oversight in the public sector (and related private contractor and not-for-profit sectors).  It introduces the democratic theories of government accountability functions – investigative, audit, and evaluations/inspections.  It also introduces techniques of investigation, policy oversight, and operational auditing, as well as fraud vulnerability and prevention and the performance auditor-agency relationship.  It will examine historically evolving roles and functions of inspectors general at all levels of government -- federal, state and local -- in the identification and prevention of fraud, (including public corruption), waste, and inefficiencies.  The efficacy of the inspector general public findings and recommendations modality in the promotion of economy, effectiveness, efficiency and integrity in public administration, and related impacts to the making of policy and regulation will also be explored.