Control at the Margins of Government: the State Comptroller and Public Corporations of Israel

Abstract

This essay deals with efforts to control institutions on the margins of government. While particular focus is on public corporations and the control efforts of the state auditor, the problems are conceived as part of a larger class of phenomena. Marginal institutions are those bodies at the far reaches of government organization charts, and out of the direct line of control from legislatures, chief executives, and key staff agencies. In addition to public corporations, marginal institutions include private firms working on contract with a government office; institutions linked to government by virtue of a financial subsidiary; and offices of different governments linked by virtue of a financial transfer or a joint venture.