ABSTRACT
Government corporations are an enigma. On the one hand, they have built some of the nation's most highly acclaimed structures; implemented important public policies with the utmost care, and provided jobs and other economic benefits for untold numbers of Americans. On the other hand, some are so secretive and complicated that not even the most astute scholar can figure them out; a number of them have made decisions in a manner that makes them look unaccountable and incompetent; and too many of them seem especially apt to become involved in activities that are best questionable and at worst illegal and undemocratic. The question posed in the first chapter was whether government corporations were more of success, more of a failure, or something in between. The answer seems to be the latter.
