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

Front Cover

Government by Investigation Congress, Presidents, and the Search for Answers 1945–2013 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. Praise for Government by Investigation “ 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 PAUL C. LIGHT is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at NewYork 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. BROOKINGS INSTITUTION PRESS Washington, D.C. www.brookings.edu/press THE GOVERNANCE INSTITUTE Washington, D.C. Cover by Sese-Paul Design Photographs ©Veer and PhotoDisc Light Government by Investigation GOVERNMENT BY INVESTIGATION 00-2268-7 FM:0322-8 10/1/13 1:32 PM Page i THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to research, education, and publication on important issues of domestic and foreign policy. Its principal purpose is to bring the highest quality independent research and analysis to bear on current and emerging policy problems. Interpretations or conclusions in Brookings publications should be understood to be solely those of the authors. THE GOVERNANCE INSTITUTE The Governance Institute (http://thegovernanceinstitute.org/) is a small nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that since 1986 has, on its own or in cooperation with other entities, explored the functioning and interaction of governmental institutions to help them address specific problems, such as encouraging law firm pro bono programs; evaluatingmechanismstoeasecontentiousnessinfederaljudicialselection;developing and monitoring the operation of a protocol by which federal appellate judges alert Congress to technical drafting problems in enacted legislation; and enhancing the fairness and effectiveness of the Justice Department’s immigration courts. The Institute has enjoyed a long and mutually productive relationship with the Brookings Institution—particularly its Governance Studies program—but it is not a part of Brookings. 00-2268-7 FM:0322-8 10/1/13 1:32 PM Page ii ...