ABSTRACT

Economy and Efficiency audits seek to determine whether the organization being audited is managing or utilizing its resources in an economical and efficient manner. Legal cases exemplify some of the work conducted by the Office of the General Counsel involving large numbers of legal interpretations and decisions. Mini-Cases are typical of a substantial volume of General Accounting Office (GAO) activity focused on smaller problems in federal agencies. A substantial fraction of GAO work is self-initiated, that is, without a specific request from Congress, underscores the high degree of independence enjoyed by the GAO. Some of the self-initiated activity conducted by the GAO is the routine kind of effort conducted on a periodic basis with little congressional involvement. The GAO has adopted a media relations approach that recognizes the importance of public understanding of the many kinds of questions the GAO addresses.