CGU Beyond Command and Control

A comparison with Responsive Regulation

Abstract

[Purpose] This article demonstrates that the work of the Office of the Comptroller General (CGU) transcends the classic Command and Control model, usually employed by the control bodies. Therefore, it aligns itself with more modern theories and strategies of regulation, such as the Theory of Responsive Regulation.

[Methodology/approach/design] To achieve this purpose, an investigation was carried out on the regulatory nature of the Agency, a synthesis on the basic principles of Command and Control and the Theory of Responsive Regulation, a legal and normative survey of the CGU's competences and, finally, a comparative analysis of these attributions with the different levels of the Regulatory Diamond, proposed by the evolution of responsive regulation.

[Findings] The verification showed that the CGU is a regulatory body for the Federal Public Administration that adopts different regulatory mechanisms, forms, and strategies to promote compliance and the continuous search for improving public management. However, there were restrictions regarding the scalability and mobility between aspirational and enforcement measures.

[Practical implications] When comparing the CGU's activity with more modern regulation studies, this article allows an assessment of adjustments and improvements that can be implemented by the Agency to take advantage of the benefits proposed by the regulatory doctrine.

[Originality/value] There are no articles or scientific papers that address the CGU's performance from the perspective of other regulatory modalities or strategies in addition to Command and Control. Therefore, this article has an unprecedented and relevant feature when comparing the exercise of CGU with the Theory of Responsive Regulation.