Government Accountability Project

The Government Accountability Project conducts research and develops tools to improve the transparency of decision-making and the quality of information used to allocate resources, to improve public sector accountability.

Research

Impartiality, Political Participation, and Federal Budget Process Reform Timothy P. Roth, Adam C. Smith \| Dec 20, 2012 The collapse of the federal budget process and the decline in trust in government threaten the stability of the self-governing republic that we inherited from our nation’s founders. Informed by their moral and political philosophy, we suggest an approach to reforming the budget process aimed at reclaiming that institutional trust. We argue that budget process reform must be animated by two related ideas: First, that post-constitutional statutory law must be impartial, and second, that both citizens and their elected representatives have a right to participate in, and to influence, the political process.	Is PAYGO a No-Go? Veronique de Rugy, David Bieler \| Jun 02, 2010 After a seven-year hiatus, the statutory "pay-as-you-go" (PAYGO) federal spending rule is once again the law of the land. Numerous policy makers have touted its benefits while emphasizing their…
The Death of Fiscal Federalism Veronique de Rugy, Stefanie Haeffele-Balch \| Jun 02, 2010 In May 2009, the federal government forced South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to take his state's share of federal stimulus funds and spend the money on new programs rather than on paying down debt.	Transparency and Performance in Government Jerry Brito, Andrew Perraut \| Jun 2010 Senior Research Fellow Jerry Brito and Andrew Perraut discuss the importance of mandatory transparency to improve performance in the public…
Ten Years of Results from the Results Act Jerry Ellig \| May 27, 2010 This paper summarizes lessons learned from a ten-year research project that evaluated the quality of annual performance reports produced under GPRA by the 24 U.S. federal agencies that account for…	Seven Key Aspects of Governing During Crisis Maurice P. McTigue, Daniel M. Rothschild \| May 18, 2010 This paper presents a toolkit of seven ideas and procedures for state policy makers to evaluate budget shortfalls and find opportunities for reform. Drawing on domestic and international experiences,…

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Testimony & Comments

Crowdsourcing Accountability: How to Prevent Stimulus Waste and Fraud Jerry Brito \| Mar 20, 2009 Senior Research Fellow Jerry Brito presents his ideas on transparency in the stimulus bill in this testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government…	In the Red: Addressing the Nation's Financial Challenges Maurice P. McTigue \| Jun 26, 2008 In his testimony before Congress, Maurice McTigue proposed five specific items that Congress could work on right now to improve the nation's fiscal…
Implementing a Broadband Interoperable Public Safety Network in the 700 MHz Band Jerry Brito \| Jun 23, 2008 Last year, the FCC attempted to create a national public safety broadband network. It assigned to a nonprofit licensee 12 MHz of public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band, and held an auction for…	Extension of Optional Practical Training for Foreign Students Mark Adams \| Jun 12, 2008 This public interest comment to the Department of Homeland Security by Mercatus Graduate Fellow Mark Adams reccomends specific inclusions be made to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) final rule.
Transparency and Accountability in Louisiana Maurice P. McTigue \| Nov 28, 2007	Community Development Block Grant: The Case for Reform Eileen Norcross \| Aug 17, 2007

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Speeches & Presentations

McTigue and Brito Presentations at the ALEC 2008 Conference Maurice P. McTigue, Jerry Brito \| Aug 30, 2008 At the 2008 American Legislative Exchange Council, Maurice McTigue and Jerry Brito presented their research on transparency and accountability to state legislators.	McTigue Presentation to AGA Annual Conference Maurice P. McTigue \| Jul 29, 2008 Are accountability and transparency public goods? Maurice McTigue addresses this possibility in his PowerPoint presentation to the Association of Government Accountants.
The High Performance Government Organization of the Future Maurice P. McTigue \| Aug 16, 2005 This is a speech given by Maurice McTigue at the Department of Labor's 2005 Senior Executives Leadership Training Conference concerning the necessary attributes of an accountable, results-focused…	The Pursuit of Limited Government Maurice P. McTigue \| Apr 01, 2004

Charts

Unemployment Continues to Rise Despite Stimulus Spending

Veronique de Rugy | Jan 04, 2010

Research from Mercatus Center Senior Research Fellow Veronique de Rugy tracks the path of stimulus spending and unemployment throughout 2009.

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Experts

Jerry Brito

Jerry Brito is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center and directs the Technology Policy Program. His primary research interests are technology and telecommunications policy, government transparency and accountability, and the regulatory process.

Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Her primary research interests include the federal budget, homeland security, taxation, tax competition, and financial privacy issues.

Jerry Ellig

Jerry Ellig is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His primary research interests include the federal regulatory process, economic regulation, and telecommunications regulation.

Maurice P. McTigue

Maurice McTigue is vice president for outreach at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He is director of the Mercatus Center's Government Accountability Project and a member of its Spending and Budget Initiative and State and Local Policy Project.

Eileen Norcross

Eileen Norcross is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Her primary research interests include fiscal federalism and institutions, state and local governments, and economic development.

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Videos

EarmarkData.org

Jerry Brito | March 17, 2010

Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Jerry Brito discusses EarmarkData.org on Federal News Tonight.

Books

All Your Data Are Belong to Us: Liberating Government Data

Jerry Brito | Feb 2010

When government refuses to make itself transparent and open and fails to make public information meaningfully available, hackers will liberate the data. It has happened many times over, and it will…

Impartiality, Political Participation, and Federal Budget Process Reform Timothy P. Roth, Adam C. Smith \| Dec 20, 2012 The collapse of the federal budget process and the decline in trust in government threaten the stability of the self-governing republic that we inherited from our nation’s founders. Informed by their moral and political philosophy, we suggest an approach to reforming the budget process aimed at reclaiming that institutional trust. We argue that budget process reform must be animated by two related ideas: First, that post-constitutional statutory law must be impartial, and second, that both citizens and their elected representatives have a right to participate in, and to influence, the political process.	Is PAYGO a No-Go? Veronique de Rugy, David Bieler \| Jun 02, 2010 After a seven-year hiatus, the statutory "pay-as-you-go" (PAYGO) federal spending rule is once again the law of the land. Numerous policy makers have touted its benefits while emphasizing their…
The Death of Fiscal Federalism Veronique de Rugy, Stefanie Haeffele-Balch \| Jun 02, 2010 In May 2009, the federal government forced South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to take his state's share of federal stimulus funds and spend the money on new programs rather than on paying down debt.	Transparency and Performance in Government Jerry Brito, Andrew Perraut \| Jun 2010 Senior Research Fellow Jerry Brito and Andrew Perraut discuss the importance of mandatory transparency to improve performance in the public…
Ten Years of Results from the Results Act Jerry Ellig \| May 27, 2010 This paper summarizes lessons learned from a ten-year research project that evaluated the quality of annual performance reports produced under GPRA by the 24 U.S. federal agencies that account for…	Seven Key Aspects of Governing During Crisis Maurice P. McTigue, Daniel M. Rothschild \| May 18, 2010 This paper presents a toolkit of seven ideas and procedures for state policy makers to evaluate budget shortfalls and find opportunities for reform. Drawing on domestic and international experiences,…

Crowdsourcing Accountability: How to Prevent Stimulus Waste and Fraud Jerry Brito \| Mar 20, 2009 Senior Research Fellow Jerry Brito presents his ideas on transparency in the stimulus bill in this testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government…	In the Red: Addressing the Nation's Financial Challenges Maurice P. McTigue \| Jun 26, 2008 In his testimony before Congress, Maurice McTigue proposed five specific items that Congress could work on right now to improve the nation's fiscal…
Implementing a Broadband Interoperable Public Safety Network in the 700 MHz Band Jerry Brito \| Jun 23, 2008 Last year, the FCC attempted to create a national public safety broadband network. It assigned to a nonprofit licensee 12 MHz of public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band, and held an auction for…	Extension of Optional Practical Training for Foreign Students Mark Adams \| Jun 12, 2008 This public interest comment to the Department of Homeland Security by Mercatus Graduate Fellow Mark Adams reccomends specific inclusions be made to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) final rule.
Transparency and Accountability in Louisiana Maurice P. McTigue \| Nov 28, 2007	Community Development Block Grant: The Case for Reform Eileen Norcross \| Aug 17, 2007

McTigue and Brito Presentations at the ALEC 2008 Conference Maurice P. McTigue, Jerry Brito \| Aug 30, 2008 At the 2008 American Legislative Exchange Council, Maurice McTigue and Jerry Brito presented their research on transparency and accountability to state legislators.	McTigue Presentation to AGA Annual Conference Maurice P. McTigue \| Jul 29, 2008 Are accountability and transparency public goods? Maurice McTigue addresses this possibility in his PowerPoint presentation to the Association of Government Accountants.
The High Performance Government Organization of the Future Maurice P. McTigue \| Aug 16, 2005 This is a speech given by Maurice McTigue at the Department of Labor's 2005 Senior Executives Leadership Training Conference concerning the necessary attributes of an accountable, results-focused…	The Pursuit of Limited Government Maurice P. McTigue \| Apr 01, 2004