Technical Staff | July 29, 2026
The American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI) is pleased to announce the launch of the Competent Questioning Interactive Learning Experience, now publicly available at cq.theaaci.net .
Competent Questioning is an anti-corruption governance concept developed by Mike Masoud and published by The American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI).
The quality of anti-corruption oversight cannot exceed the quality of the questions asked by those entrusted to govern, manage, audit, regulate, and approve.
The concept addresses a persistent weakness in governance and oversight. Corruption, fraud, conflicts of interest, improper influence, and internal control failures are not necessarily the result of institutional silence. They often persist because the questions being asked are too general, too procedural, too deferential, or insufficiently informed.
Competent Questioning is not ordinary curiosity or ceremonial inquiry. It is the disciplined ability to ask clear, relevant, timely, and evidence-seeking questions that expose corruption risks before they mature into misconduct, loss, scandal, or institutional failure.
Asking a question is only the beginning. Effective oversight requires the responsible evaluation of the answer, the reliability of the supporting evidence, and further inquiry or escalation when explanations remain incomplete or unsupported.
An Interactive Learning Experience
The new website transforms the concept into a structured and practical learning experience. It includes:
- realistic anti-corruption and governance scenarios;
- multiple professional and institutional roles;
- explanations of why weak questions create false assurance;
- the Competent Questioning process;
- guidance on evaluating answers and evidence;
- practical application activities;
- a Questioning Laboratory; and
- a final Knowledge Check.
The Questioning Laboratory enables users to examine situations involving consultant engagements, procurement exceptions, whistleblowing investigations, and automated approval systems. Users are invited to identify risks, select appropriate questions, assess the quality of evidence, and determine whether further inquiry or escalation is required.
The learning experience is relevant to board and committee members, executives, managers, auditors, compliance professionals, regulators, investigators, procurement personnel, risk management professionals, public officials, and others entrusted with decision-making, supervisory, or approval authority.
Strengthening Governance and Decision Making
Competent Questioning does not replace governance, internal control, audit, compliance, regulation, investigation, or risk management. It strengthens them.
It encourages those exercising entrusted authority to challenge unsupported assurances, test whether approvals are legitimate, detect conflicts of interest, assess whether internal control operates effectively, examine unusual relationships, clarify responsibility, and identify unresolved risks before important decisions are finalized.
The concept also supports integrity and effective decision making by emphasizing that formal documents, policies, approvals, and reports should not automatically be treated as sufficient evidence. Their credibility, completeness, relevance, and substance must be examined.
Open Access Without Registration
The Complete Learning Experience Is Freely Accessible
Users do not need to:
- create an account;
- log in;
- provide a username or password;
- use professional credentials; or
- submit personal or institutional information.
Explore Competent Questioning
Access all learning content, interactive scenarios, practical activities, the Questioning Laboratory, and the Knowledge Check.
Enter the Interactive Learning ExperienceOfficial Concept Publication
The official written publication of the Competent Questioning concept is available at www.theaaci.net/Competent-Questioning .
The launch of this website reflects AACI’s commitment to advancing corruption prevention, governance accountability, and the responsible exercise of entrusted authority.
The American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI) is an international professional institution advancing corruption prevention, governance accountability, and the responsible exercise of entrusted authority.
AACI is private and independent. It is not affiliated, directly or indirectly, with the United States government or any United States government agency.
