Abstract

The challenge that our society faces is, essentially, a managerial challenge. How can industry, government, and industry and government, jointly, organize better or more effectively tomorrow than they did yesterday to manage the research, planning, organizing, financing, supervising and execution of the basic programs and the multiple subprograms necessary to correct the inequities and inadequacies facing American society, industry, and government? Programs of the federal government designed to alleviate or overcome the problems of poverty now total more than $20 billion a year. These provide financial assistance through federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private enterprise. They cover the spectrum of assistance in the fields of education, health, income maintenance, and job training. Moreover, ideas and new programs are being devised almost daily. But the programs which have received the most widespread attention are those operated by the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Department of Labor. The General Accounting Office was directed by amendments to the Economic Opportunity Act of 1967 to review and evaluate the effectiveness of programs carried out under the Act.