Foreign Assistance: Various Challenges Impede the Efficiency and Effectiveness of U.S. Food Aid (open access)

Foreign Assistance: Various Challenges Impede the Efficiency and Effectiveness of U.S. Food Aid

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The United States is the largest global food aid donor, accounting for over half of all food aid supplies to alleviate hunger and support development. Since 2002, Congress has appropriated an average of $2 billion per year for U.S. food aid programs, which delivered an average of 4 million metric tons of food commodities per year. Despite growing demand for food aid, rising business and transportation costs have contributed to a 52 percent decline in average tonnage delivered over the last 5 years. These costs represent 65 percent of total emergency food aid, highlighting the need to maximize its efficiency and effectiveness. Based on analysis of agency documents, interviews with experts and practitioners, and fieldwork, this report examines some key challenges to the (1) efficiency of U.S. food aid programs and (2) effective use of U.S. food aid."
Date: April 13, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Real Property: Progress Made Toward Addressing Problems, but Underlying Obstacles Continue to Hamper Reform (open access)

Federal Real Property: Progress Made Toward Addressing Problems, but Underlying Obstacles Continue to Hamper Reform

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO prepared this report under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative to assist Congress. Federal real property is a high-risk area due to excess and deteriorating property, reliance on costly leasing, unreliable data, and security challenges. GAO's objectives were to determine (1) what progress the administration and major real property-holding agencies have made in strategically managing real property and addressing long-standing problems and (2) what problems and obstacles, if any, remain to be addressed. GAO reviewed documents and interviewed officials from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and nine agencies that hold 93 percent of federal property."
Date: April 13, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Title Insurance: Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of the Title Industry and Better Protect Consumers (open access)

Title Insurance: Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of the Title Industry and Better Protect Consumers

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In a previous report and testimony, GAO identified issues related to title insurance markets, including questions about the extent to which premium rates reflect underlying costs, oversight of title agent practices, and the implications of recent state and federal investigations. This report addresses those issues by examining (1) the characteristics of title insurance markets across states, (2) factors influencing competition and prices within those markets, and (3) the current regulatory environment and planned regulatory changes. To conduct this review, GAO analyzed available industry data and studies, and interviewed industry and regulatory officials in a sample of six states selected on the basis of differences in size, industry practices, regulatory environments, and number of investigations."
Date: April 13, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library