8th Annual Performance Report Scorecard: Which Federal Agencies Best Inform the Public?

Featuring:

Hon. David Walker
Comptroller General of the United States
Government Accountability Office

Hon. Maurice P. McTigue
Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Vice President
Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Dr. Jerry Ellig
Senior Research Fellow
Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Choices at the polls last November revealed that the public is serious about government accountability.  In fact, exit polls indicated that frustration with corruption was the top concern for a wide swath of voters.

With a new Congress come fresh opportunities to realize full transparency and accountability in the federal government.  True accountability means not only making the results of the dollars spent transparent to the public and elected officials; it also requires that elected leaders actually use this information to guide their budgetary and program decision making.  There is no alternative if government decisions are to genuinely advance the public interest.

On April 3rd, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University will host a special panel discussion to mark the release of our Annual Performance Report Scorecard.  Each year, this study sheds light on which of the 24 largest federal agencies are supplying citizens and elected leaders with the information they need to make informed funding and policy decisions.

The Report rates and ranks the major departments and agencies based on the fullness and accuracy of their disclosure. The Scorecard also highlights best and worst practices among the agencies' annual performance and accountability reports. Mercatus researchers evaluate the reports according to transparency, public benefits, and forward-looking leadership.