Twenty-first-century constitutions now typically include a new 'fourth branch' of government, a group of institutions charged with protecting constitutional democracy, including electoral management bodies, anticorruption agencies, and ombuds offices. This book offers the first general theory of the fourth branch; in a world where governance is exercised through political parties, we cannot be confident that the traditional three branches are enough to preserve constitutional democracy. The fourth branch institutions can, by concentrating within themselves distinctive forms of expertise, deploy that expertise more effectively than the traditional branches are capable of doing. However, several case studies of anticorruption efforts, electoral management bodies, and audit bureaus show that the fourth branch institutions do not always succeed in protecting constitutional democracy, and indeed sometimes undermine it. The book concludes with some cautionary notes about placing too much hope in these – or, indeed, in any – institutions as the guarantors of constitutional democracy.

This book introduces a concept that, to my knowledge, has not yet been introduced to the world. This concept is a system-oriented structure that enables complete transparency in financial transactions. It shows compelling arguments abound for the development of such a system and explores many different types of financial corruption and hidden deals that led to the recent economic recession. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, every element of society is reduced by financial corruption. Different types of corruption, in fact, may coexist more easily in a society where financial dealings are not completely transparent. As the title states it, I promise you that this system will prevent most of the world's financial corruption if it is implemented.With the Fourth Branch Concept, any attempt to steal money would be detected on the first day. This book also goes into a new concept of the education system, an improved-new form of government, an improved social safety net, essential points of economy and many including new methods that could bring down health care costs significantly. The Fourth Branch-Money Trail puts forth an idea that may help remedy the current state of affairs, and as such is a timely book with clear audiences: the serious average citizens, the intelligent students and teachers, the politicians who take interest in societal reform and the families and friends who enjoy discussions of world events at all gatherings. No doubt, all of us know these types of gatherings, and many of us have been part of them. As the title states it, I promise you this system will prevent most of the world financial corruption if it is implemented. A good example would be Mr. Madoffs Ponzi scheme. It took about 50 government agents over 10 years time to reveal this crime, but if this simple concept of the fourth branch-money trail was implemented, this would not have been able happen. With the Fourth Branch Concept, any attempt to steal money would be detected on the first day. This book also goes into a new concept of the education system, an improved-new form of government, an improved social safety net, essential points of economy and many including new methods that could bring down health care costs significantly. The Fourth Branch-money trail puts forth an idea that may help remedy the current state of affairs, and as such is a timely book with clear audiences: the serious average citizens, the intelligent students and teachers, the politicians who take interest in societal reform and the families and friends who enjoy discussions of world events at all gatherings. No doubt, all of us know these types of gatherings, and many of us have been part of them.

There are four branches of American government: executive, legislative, judicial, and the people. Just as the words "check and balances" do not appear anywhere in the Constitution, the structure for both, checks and balances, and the people, being the fourth branch, are in America's Constitution. The people have been excluded from America's government. The fourth branch of government has been cut off. This book contains two books. In one book, a little boy sees God when he is between four to five years old. The boy is not believed. He falls away. Much later in life, the man is called by God to bring God's pathway toward a reprieve or respite for America. A message of restoration of balance to an unbalanced government. A way toward unification for a dissolving union. The first story is the beginning of the man's journey. This story is truth. Just as the people were cut off from America's government, Adam and Eve were cast from Eden into earth's world. The second story begins as a fictional account of the Seventh Patriarch from Adam, who as a boy seeks God around seven hundred years after Adam and Eve were cast from Eden. The story of God's First Scribe is of divine inspiration derived from Scripture never canonized. Descriptions and even comparisons of this man to Jesus Christ are in several books in the Bible to include Genesis, the books of Hebrews and James. God begins to work the way for man back to Him through Seth, this boy, many prophets and messengers, through Jesus Christ all the way toward the people coming to the rationalization, the realization, and having the awareness that the people are both America's fourth branch and the fourth branch of heaven. The stories combined become a comparison and contrast of two little boys who seek God about five thousand years apart.

In The Fourth Branch: Reconstructing the Administrative State for the Commercial Republic Brian J. Cook confronts head-on the accumulating derangements in the American constitutional system and how the administrative state has contributed to the problems, how it has been a key force in addressing the troubles, and how it can be reformed to serve the system better. The Fourth Branch is anchored in a powerful theory of regime design that guides a freshly comprehensive account of the historical development of successive political economies and administrative states in the United States and provides the normative grounding for more far-reaching constitutional change. Cook calls for a decisive, pattern-breaking response in the form of a constitutional redesign to accommodate a fourth branch, an administrative branch. The Fourth Branch shows that the creation of a fourth administrative branch is consistent with the history and traditions of American constitutionalism. Far more than that, however, the addition of a fourth branch could enhance American constitutionalism by making the separation of powers work better, increasing the likelihood that deliberative lawmaking will occur, strengthening civic capacity and public engagement in governance, and improving both accountability and coordination in the administrative state. By stressing that the administrative state in its current form is both biased toward business and seriously undermined by subordination to the three constitutional branches, Cook contends that neither abandoning the administrative state nor more deeply constitutionalizing or democratizing it within the existing constitutional structure is sufficient to fully legitimate and capitalize on administrative power to serve the public interest. Rather, Cook argues that it is imperative to confront the reality that a fundamental reordering of constitutional arrangements is necessary if the American commercial republic is to recover from its growing disorder and progress further toward its aspirations of liberal justice and limited but vigorous self-rule.

In this book, Verkuil uses his inside perspective on government to examine the increasing impact of private contractors on governance. Outsourcing of government functions is on the rise and is of concern to scholars and practitioners, and the reputation of the author will bring considerable attention to this book.