John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

   

Professor Daniel L. Feldman in the Department of Public Management and David R. Eichenthal wield their 40 plus years of experience in federal, state and local government and criminal justice research to show how average citizens can function as effective watchdogs against government fraud and abuse in their seminal new book, The Art of the Watchdog: Fighting Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption in Government. They provide expert advice, tools and techniques for the reader to identify government waste and inefficiency and how people can act to enhance government strength and integrity.

“We must expose and punish those who abuse government power. As important, we must fight the knee-jerk cynics who preach that everyone in politics or in government is corrupt,” said Feldman. “Their message undermines the fight for reform, and thus helps the crooks and scoundrels. We will not eliminate corruption, but we must not stop fighting it, or it will destroy us. The Art of the Watchdog shows that it is possible to limit the scope of fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in government, and how to do it.”

Mark J. Green, former New York City public advocate and author of Who Runs Congress? said, “This is simply the best book written on the government watchdog function. It smartly explains how a persistent, gutsy, and empirical watchdog can be a tugboat moving supertankers.”

Tom Griscom, former White House Communications Director in the Reagan administration endorsed the book saying, “Who really watches out for abuses and waste in government? Often it is committed public servants who understand that oversight is part of doing the people’s business. Feldman and Eichenthal show how effective watchdogs can lead to better government performance and improved public confidence.”

Professor Feldman teaches Oversight & Investigation, Ethics & Accountability, and Administrative Law. He was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 1980, and served as a member of the Legislature from 1981 through 1998, writing over 140 state laws, including New York’s Megan’s Law and Organized Crime Control Act. As Correction Committee chair for twelve years, he led some of the first efforts to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws. For six years thereafter, as a senior member of Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s staff, he exposed HUD’s 203k-mortgage loan guarantee scandal and led the investigation of UnumProvident’s disability insurance scam.

Until his full-time appointment at John Jay, Professor Feldman worked as Special Counsel for Law & Policy to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. His fourth book, Tales from the Sausage Factory: Making Laws in New York State, with co-author Gerald Benjamin, was published by SUNY Press in 2010. The publication date for his fifth book, The Art of the Watchdog: Fighting Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Corruption in Government, with co-author David Eichenthal, also by SUNY Press, is January 1, 2014. He also wrote numerous scholarly articles, and serves as Perspective and Commentary Editor for Public Administration Review. His current research involves government oversight, administrative theory, and legal philosophy.

For more information about the book, click here.