Accountability

Accountability

Literature Review on Accountability

In the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, [1] Jonathan B. Justice offers the following summary about the topic of Accountability: In broad terms, accountability denotes a system of interdependent social relationships, processes, and mechanisms by means of which an individual's actions are motivated, in whole or in part, by her anticipation of others' evaluations of and reactions to her action(s) and/or her explanatory account of those actions. In narrowly instrumental principal–agent conceptions, accountability refers to the use of anticipated sanctions and rewards to motivate agents to fulfill the expectations of principals, and is sometimes offered as a kind of magic word, with more and stricter accountability invoked as the cure for all that ails public organizations. In practice, the instrumental use of accountability as an instrument of political governance and organizational management is significantly complicated by the broader nature of accountability as a motivation for individual and collective action. Understanding the variety of accountability relationships and mechanisms operative in any given public–administrative setting can help scholars and practitioners avoid forming or perpetuating unrealistic expectations about how and with what results accountability works in practice.

Literature Review on Ethics and Accountability

In the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, [1] Melvin J. Dubnick offers the following summary about the topic of Ethics and Accountability: The relationship between “accountability” and “ethics” has long been a concern among students of public administration. Accountability has traditionally been regarded as the means used to control and direct administrative behavior by requiring “answerability” to some external authority. It has deep roots in American constitutional history, and can be linked to the principles implicit in the Magna Carta as well as to our system of checks and balances. In public administration, ethics has most often been associated with standards of responsible behavior and integrity.

Accountability

Resources

See Also

  • Liability

Resources

Notes and References

  1. Entry about Ethics and Accountability in the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy (2015, Routledge, Oxford, United Kingdom)

See Also

Further Reading

  • Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance (2018, Springer International Publishing, Germany)

Resources

Notes and References

  1. Entry about Accountability in the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy (2015, Routledge, Oxford, United Kingdom)

See Also

Further Reading

  • Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance (2018, Springer International Publishing, Germany)

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