Oversight Scholars
Our objective is to foster high-quality oversight investigations by elected officials at the federal, state, local and international levels. To support that objective, we facilitate and expand scholarly research into issues related to oversight investigations.
How we support oversight scholarship
Our academic activities include sponsoring panel discussions and academic gatherings, offering fellowships and other research opportunities, providing extensive research resources, and maintaining an oversight scholar listserve to promote academic exchange and discussion.
Sign-up to our oversight scholars listserv
We maintain a listserv for oversight scholars to distribute new research or research resources.
Oversight Fellows
We launched our oversight fellowship program in 2021 with generous support from the Sunwater Institute and will award one or more non-resident fellowships every year to early career scholars to promote and advance research efforts in oversight.
Oversight Library
As a service to the academic community interested in oversight issues, we facilitate access to academic research papers, books, datasets and other materials on topics of interest. Search our extensive oversight library or submit new entries for us to add!
Oversight Case Law
Portraits in Oversight
Scholars, educators, the public, and even legislators are not always sure about what is meant by the term “oversight.” To help explain, we’ve compiled short portraits of important congressional oversight investigations as well as Members of Congress who championed oversight. Join us for a quick history walk!
Oversight Research Award
Our yearly ‘Excellence in Oversight Research’ award recognizes an outstanding oversight research paper with a prize of $2,500. Submit a paper to be considered for this year’s award!
Recent Scholarly Events
Feb 22, 2022: “Oversight Riders” – presentation by Professor Stack & Professor Vandenbergh - Research Award 2021
‘Oversight Riders’ won the 2021 Levin Center Award for Excellence in Oversight Research, a yearly award by the Levin Center to promote constructive research into oversight by legislative bodies. The Levin Center Award for Excellence in Oversight Research is designed to encourage, acknowledge, and heighten the visibility of scholarly papers examining important oversight issues at the national, state, tribal, local or international levels. Professor Stack and Professor Vandenbergh, both from Vanderbilt Law School, offer a compelling, timely, and original thesis on an important appropriations mechanism long overlooked as a way to create personal incentives for executive branch officials to comply with congressional information requests.
Watch their presentation and discussion of the paper!
