Maurice P. McTigue

Maurice P. McTigue

  • Vice President for Outreach
  • Distinguished Visiting Scholar

The Honorable Maurice McTigue, QSO, 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. 

He joined the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in 1997, where he has advised the Office of Management and Budget and most federal agencies in the Clinton and Bush administrations. He has consulted with legislators and governors in over 20 states. In 2003, he was appointed to the Office of Personnel Management Senior Review Committee, formed to make recommendations for new Human Resources systems at the then newly created Department of Homeland Security. McTigue and the Mercatus Center served as special advisors to Louisiana's Commission on Streamlining Government. In 2010, McTigue was named to Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring.

A seasoned expert on government reform, McTigue brings practical experience and scholarly research to the table from his distinguished career as a former cabinet minister and member of parliament in his native New Zealand. Holding seven different ministerial portfolios during his nine years in the New Zealand parliament, McTigue was one of the architects of the "New Zealand miracle," which dramatically reformed the country's government and economy by implementing market-driven, pro-growth policies. A farmer by trade, McTigue served in New Zealand's parliament from 1985 to 1993 before becoming his country's ambassador to Canada.

In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 1999, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed upon McTigue the prestigious Queen’s Service Order in recognition of his public service, one of the highest honors attainable for civil service in New Zealand.

Published Research

Maurice P. McTigue, Daniel M. Rothschild | Mar 04, 2011
In this article, Daniel Rothschild and Maurice McTigue discuss what factors lead to successful government streamlining commissions.
Henry Wray, Jerry Ellig, Maurice P. McTigue | May 05, 2009
This Scorecard ranks the quality of disclosure of the Performance and Accountability Reports of the 24 agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act. Our research team looks at criteria in three areas.
Henry Wray, Jerry Ellig, Maurice P. McTigue | May 13, 2008
This Scorecard ranks the quality of disclosure of the Performance and Accountability Reports of the 24 agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act. Our research team looks at criteria in three areas.
Maurice P. McTigue | Nov 28, 2007
The State Scorecard Evaluation for Louisiana scores how well, before November 2007,  the state of Louisiana informs the public with regard to transparency and…

Working Papers

Policy Briefs

Testimony & Comments

Maurice P. McTigue | Oct 20, 2011
Maurice McTigue testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs on ways FEMA can become more effective and efficient in reacting to disasters.
Jerry Ellig, Maurice P. McTigue | Dec 15, 2008
Senior Research Fellow Jerry Ellig and Director of the Government Accountability Project Maurice McTigue comment upon how the Federal Communications Commission can improve their assistance to low…
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…
Maurice P. McTigue | Nov 28, 2007

Research Summaries & Toolkits

Speeches & Presentations

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.
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.
Maurice P. McTigue | Feb 08, 2008
Maurice McTigue speaks to the World Trade Center in New Orleans regarding transparency in government, and its importance in assuring sustainable economic and social development.
Maurice P. McTigue | Jul 24, 2007

Media Clippings

Expert Commentary

Jul 02, 2012

Mercatus scholars share their favorite summer reads on economics, politics, liberty and more.
May 16, 2012

Greece's irresponsible fiscal behavior leading up to the Great Recession caused its current problems, not the recession itself. The recession simply made abundantly transparent what insiders knew, but were unwilling to accept: Greece's fiscal behavior was unsustainable. Greece is now at a point where it only makes economic sense that they either leave voluntarily or have the European Union expel them.
Apr 12, 2012

Kansas policymakers left for recess on the heels of very disappointing jobs news. According to the latest jobs report, Kansas ranked fourth in terms of jobs lost with a 5,700 decrease in employment. As legislators prepare to return in a couple of weeks, they should consider what’s best for the Kansas economy and pursue goals that make Kansas a better place to do business than any other state.
Feb 21, 2012

With these levels of spending and debt, the United States is well on the way to repeating the mistakes of Japan in the 1990s.

Contact

Maurice P. McTigue

Books

Podcasts

Jerry Ellig, Randall Lutter, Maurice P. McTigue | May 11, 2012
This seminar examines the current state of regulatory retrospective review, how it can be improved, and how Congress can use the findings of retrospective review for regulatory oversight and legislative planning.