Integrity and Accountability in Government: Homeland Security and the Inspector General

The Inspector General (IG)'s mission is to expose fraud, waste and abuse as well as promoting efficiency in federal agencies. Each year billions of dollars are returned to the Federal government or are better spent based on recommendations from IGs reports. IG investigations have also contributed to the prosecution of thousands of wrongdoers including contractors and public employees. With scarce literature on Inspectors General (IGs), Apaza addresses this by looking at the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which has proven to be of significant benefit to the US government.

Inspectors General attract high expectations, yet we know surprisingly little about how they actually operate. Carmen Apaza offers an illuminating analysis of the role of the Inspector General in one of the United States Government's most complex agencies - the Department of Homeland Security. This book will be essential reading for policy analysts and reformers alike.' Michael Johnston, Colgate University, USA

This study of the IGO in Homeland Security provides a detailed and substantive evaluation of What effective watchdogs can do to combat fraud, waste, and corruption given sufficient jurisdiction and resources but also what they fail to achieve if teethless or asleep on the job or just chained up altogether and silenced. It compares the ideal with the real, something rare in public administration. This is a book that deserves to be read. Gerald E. Caiden, University of Southern California, USA

Carmen R. Apaza, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, USA