Resource Type:

How To

Posted On: Aug 10, 2009

Posted By: Joanna Hecht

URL:

http://www.pogo.org/cots/handbook-orders.html

Description:

From the Project on Government Oversight:POGO has developed The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right as a solution to widespread concerns about the quality and quantity of oversight activities on the Hill.

While this handbook is designed to empower congressional staff to tap into the U.S. Congress's numerous oversight powers, it is also a treasure-trove of valuable information for students, political scientists, and the public about how Congress actually operates. The book is highly readable, fresh, and a bit humorous.

Tapping into our staff's professional background on the Hill and in media, as well as our day-to-day contact with current and retired committee and personal staffers, the handbook provides step-by-step instruction on some of the most-needed oversight topics:

* gaining support from across the aisle;
* how to effectively work with whistleblowers and insiders; and
* preparing for a hearing.

The handbook is a practical, rather than theoretical, look at Congress and is informed by practitioners. It includes oral histories from more than a dozen current and former Hill staffers who are regarded by their peers to be among the most effective Democrat and Republican oversight practitioners. There is a Questions & Answers session with a longtime staffer who provides insight into a successful sweepstakes solicitation investigation; current staffers share copies of their offices' responses to agency information denials; and journalists share tips on how staffers can get more media attention for their oversight efforts.

If you are a Hill staffer (including GAO and CRS), and want to learn more about the handbook or our Congressional Oversight Training Series (COTS), contact Ingrid Drake at idrake@pogo.org. Others can order their copy online.