Need To Improve Accountability To Reduce Fraud and Mismanagement and Improve Productivity in the Federal Government

There is a need to improve productivity in carrying out Federal programs. The recurring theme in the problems of Government fraud, mismanagement, and declining productivity is the lack of accountability at all levels of Government. Instituting good management systems, which include performance measurement, can greatly increase accountability in Government. In order to make these systems effective, managers need more than a vague concern for better Government; they need incentives that directly affect them on a daily basis. The recent actions by the executive branch to reduce waste and fraud and improve management are encouraging. While these efforts are in the right direction, they do not alone provide the needed change. Much will depend on the future work of the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management, and Congress. Congress should consistently require that departments and agencies support budget requests with productivity data and encourage and reward those departments and agencies that demonstrate good management.