Measurement of Accountability

Literature Review on Measurement of Accountability

In the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, [1] Jan Biela offers the following summary about the topic of Measurement of Accountability: Accountability is an often underspecified and multidimensional concept. Conceptualizations vary with regard to the elements and the degree of formalization associated with the term. In terms of measurement, the assessment of formal accountability rights can be distinguished from de facto effectiveness of accountability mechanisms. Data collection and measurement strategies vary to a high extent, with each approach having its particular merits and shortcomings. While there is no “gold standard” for measuring accountability, it becomes clear that conceptualization, measurement, and aggregation of scores require extreme care.

Resources

Notes and References

1. Entry about Measurement of 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)