This book investigates Parliaments' capacity to oversee government activities, policies and expenditures. Utilising a comparative approach, the book presents a new examination of oversight tools and discusses the conditions under which such tools are employed effectively.

Introduction 1. Theoretical foundations for legislative oversight 2. Legisaltive oversight tools 3. Legislative oversight and the quality of democracy 4. Legislative oversight and corruption 5. Legislative oversight in Ghana 6. A strategic interaction model 7. Testing the model-the case of Public Accounts Committees 8. Conclusions

Riccardo Pelizzo is a parliamentary consultant and research advisor to the World Bank Institute.

Rick Stapenhurst is a parliamentary consultant and research advisor to the World Bank Institute.