MATCHING RESPONSIBILITIES WITH TACTICS - ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS AND MODERN GOVERNMENT

What are the alternatives to the rule-bound means traditionally applie d to the governance of public agencies? Using the case of the Departme nt of Defense, Fred Thompson highlights four basic management control systems. Two of the systems (outlay budgets and fixed-price contracts) reflect a desire to impose ''before-the-fact'' controls, while the ot her two (responsibility budgets and flexible-price contracts) stress ' 'after-the-fact'' controls. Thompson shows that decisions regarding th e choice of an appropriate control system depend on a number of factor s. He notes the costliness of a mismatch between controls and agency t asks, and argues that greater attention be paid to alternative mechani sms for agency governance.