UNIT 17 Answer the following questions 1 What is the meaning of accountability in public administration 2 What other principles is accountability closely related to 3 How can accountability of civil servants be ensured ID: 778550
Download The PPT/PDF document "GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
UNIT 17
Slide2Answer the
following questions:
1. What is the meaning of accountability in public administration?
2. What other principles is accountability closely related to?
3. How can accountability of civil servants be ensured?
4. Which control mechanisms can be used to ensure accountability of public administration?
Slide3Preview
Hierarchical
model of
accountability
Definitions
Answerability
and
enforcement
Accountability
and
transparency
Checks
and
balances
Responsiveness
Mechanisms
of
accountability
:
elections
, legislative
scrutiny
,
courts
,
auditors
,
public
access
to
information
,
intra-organizational
accountability
Slide4Models and Mechanisms of Accountability:
Hierarchical
model
The traditional model of
accountability
:
public servants
were
accountable to their ministers,
the
minister was accountable to the legislature, and
the
legislature was accountable to the people.
Slide5Hierarchical model
To make the hierarchical model of accountability function effectively, governments have developed a number of
instruments.
All
the instruments and mechanisms for accountability depend on
transparency
and
openness
.
If
an administrative system can keep its practices hidden from the public and from political actors, then the possibilities for exercising control over that administration are very limited.
Slide6Definitions of accountability
Accountability
-
a key concept in both public administration and democratic theory.
Its
meaning is contested, but the general definition “the obligation to answer for the performance of duties” would fit most versions.
Slide7Definitions of accountability
Though the Oxford English Dictionary records the use of the English word
accountability from the late 18th century, its prominence in political science dates only from the 1980's, before which time the term
responsibility
was preferred.
Broadly
speaking,
accountability
exists when an individual or body, and the performance of tasks or functions by that individual or body, are subject to another’s oversight, direction or request that they provide information or justification for their actions.
Slide8Answerability and enforcement
The concept of accountability involves two distinct stages:
answerability and
enforcement
.
Answerability
refers to the obligation of the government, its agencies and public officials to provide information about their decisions and actions and to justify them to the public and those institutions of accountability tasked with providing oversight.
Slide9Answerability and
enforcement
Enforcement
suggests that the public or the institution responsible for accountability can sanction the offending party.
As
such, different institutions of accountability might be responsible for either or both of these stages.
Accountability and transparency
Some analyses equate accountability with
transparency.
In
complex modern systems of public accountability, some accountability mechanisms, such as
parliamentary inquiry
or
media investigation
can provide transparency, but lack the capacity to
impose sanctions
, leaving that function to other agencies such as the
courts
or the
executive.
Checks and balances
Accountability is sometimes equated with institutional devices for limiting or constraining power
.
For instance, constitutional
checks and balances
, such as
federalism
and the
separation of powers
, are sometimes described as mechanisms of accountability because they limit the legal power of governments and prevent them from neglecting the rights of citizens.
Such
constraints may certainly involve accountability mechanisms, for instance, when a government oversteps its legal powers and is called to account by the courts.
Slide12Responsiveness
Accountability, as the obligation to answer to
external scrutiny, is closely linked to
responsiveness
, understood as the readiness of institutions and officials to respond to the needs and interests of those whom they serve.
Slide13Mechanisms of accountability
Elections
Legislative
Scrutiny
Courts
Auditors and other monitoring agencies
Public access to government information
Intra-Organizational Accountability
Slide14Elections
In a representative democracy, the basic accountability mechanism is the general election at which prospective executive leaders present themselves to the voters and seek a renewal of their mandate to govern
.
Elections compel elected politicians to explain and justify their actions and give the citizens the opportunity to listen and deliver a verdict.
Elections
, however, need to be supplemented by a range of other accountability mechanisms and should not be seen as the sole instruments of democratic accountability.
Slide15Legislative Scrutiny
Between elections, the major institution of accountability is the legislature.
Though
primarily defined in terms of their law-making functions, modern legislatures have ceded much of their legislative initiative to the executive branch
.
In compensation, legislatures have increasingly emphasized their accountability role as the main forum where the executive is required to answer to the public
.
Slide16Legislative scrutiny
Legislatures hold executives to account through a variety of
ways.
One
is the requirement for
regular reporting
on executive
activities.
Legislatures
also have the right to question members of the executive and subject them to
public scrutiny.
Slide17Courts
All governments
- subject to legal accountability through the courts because courts determine whether the government has acted within the law.
The
operation and effect of this power vary with a country's legal and constitutional
structure
Slide18Courts
One
contrast is between Anglo-American countries, where cases involving the government are heard in the same courts as civil cases, and some European countries, notably France, where a completely separate court structure is reserved for cases involving the state.
Slide19Courts
Another contrast concerns the scope of
judicial review. Where
a constitution, as in the United States, defines and limits the powers of both Congress and the President, the courts become a forum for holding the government generally accountable across a wide range of substantial policy issues.
On
the other hand, in parliamentary democracies such as the UK, where few constitutional limits are placed on legislative power, opportunities for challenging policies through the courts are much more
limited
.
Slide20Courts
Most cases involving the government are brought by individual citizens and deal with particular decisions affecting them that have been made by government agencies.
Slide21Courts
It is open to the court to
rule:
Whether
a
decision was taken
within the powers legally conferred
on the government agency;
whether
the citizen received
natural justice
in terms of
fair procedure
and
due process
;
and
whether the decision itself was
reasonable.
Slide22Courts
Judicial accountability, like litigation generally, suffers from being slow and expensive and is beyond the reach of most people for most issues.
However
, its availability as a last resort is crucial to the public's capacity to hold governments to account.
Like
the rule of law
itself, of which it is a key element, accountability through an independent and honest judiciary is the foundation of all public accountability.
Slide23Auditors and other monitoring agencies
Governments are overseen and investigated by a range of special-purpose
accountability agencies.
Of
these agencies, the most long-standing are the offices of
government auditors
.
Their
traditional function has been the monitoring of government finances on behalf of the legislature to see whether
public revenue
and
expenditure
have been managed according to
legislative authorization
and according to appropriate
public standards
.
Slide24Auditors and other monitoring agencies
In general, government auditors have proved essential in maintaining financial integrity in governments.
Conversely
, the absence of effective audit is a key indicator of weak and corrupt government systems
Slide25Other investigating
bodies
Besides auditors, other investigating bodies include
government inspectors
and
ombudsmen
.
Inspectors are officials established within particular government departments and agencies with the function of improving efficiency and effectiveness.
Slide26Ombudsman
The position of ombudsman, first introduced in Scandinavia, has been adopted worldwide as an avenue of complaint for individual
citizens seeking redress in connection with particular
decisions.
Ombudsmen
usually have the
power to investigate and recommend
but
not to impose remedies
.
In
spite of this limitation, however, they have proved an effective accountability mechanism midway between an individual complaint and full legal proceedings.
Slide27Public access to government information
Public access to government information is an essential component of government accountability and is provided by a number of channels.
One
such channel is the right of the citizen to seek
access to information
, both personal and general information about government policy.
Certain
exemptions usually apply, on grounds such as
national security
,
cabinet confidentiality
,
commercial confidentiality
, and
protection of legal proceedings
.
Slide28Public access to government information
The various media outlets, both print and electronic, help spread information and stimulate debate.
Though
, for the most part, privately owned and not formally part of the machinery of government, the media are essential to effective accountability in large-scale modern states.
Indeed
, a
free press
, along with
elections
and an
independent judiciary
, has been acknowledged as one of the key institutions in securing an accountable government.
Slide29Intra-Organizational Accountability
In addition to being
externally accountable, government agencies, like all organizations, exhibit
internal structures of accountability
whereby different members or sections are accountable to others within the organization.
Indeed
, from the perspective of individual officials, organizational accountability through the
chain of bureaucratic command
is often the most immediate and salient form of accountability in their daily activities.
Slide30II Read the text carefully and answer the following questions:
1
.
Explain the traditional model of accountability. Who is accountable to whom?
2. What do all mechanisms of accountability depend on?
3. What is the generally accepted definition of accountability?
4. Which constitutional checks and balances can function as mechanisms of accountability?
5. What are the main mechanisms of external public sector accountability?
6. What is the most salient form of intra-organizational accountability?
7. How can legislatures hold executives to account?
8. What can the courts determine regarding government action and decisions?
9. What is the role of auditors?
10. What are the other investigating bodies besides auditors?
11. What is the role of the Ombudsman?
Slide31III Provide definitions of the following key concepts:
1. Accountability ______________________
2. Openness: ______________________
3. Answerability: _____________________
4. Enforcement: _______________________
5. Responsiveness: ________________________
Slide32abuses, accountability, government, horizontal, punish
The prevailing view is that institutions of ______________________, such as parliament and the judiciary, provide what is commonly termed horizontal accountability, or the capacity
of
a
network of relatively autonomous powers (i.e. other institutions) that can call into
question, and eventually ________________, improper ways of discharging the responsibilities of a given official. In other words, _________________accountability is the capacity of state institutions to check __________________ by other public agencies and branches of _____________________ or the requirement for agencies to report sideways
Slide33Decide whether the following statements are true or false and correct the false ones:
STATEMENT
TRUE
FALSE
Mechanisms of accountability do not depend on transparency.
The concept of accountability involves only answerability.
Accountability mechanisms such as parliamentary inquiry or media investigation can impose sanctions.
Constitutional checks and balances include federalism and the separation of powers.
Accountability is closely linked to responsiveness.
Elections are a sufficient instrument of democratic accountability.
Modern legislatures have ceded much of their legislative initiative to the executive branch.
Governments are not subject to legal accountability through the courts
DISCUSSION
Discuss
the role of the press as an accountability mechanism. Can freedom of the press be limited under any circumstances?
Slide35Integrity, Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration
How
would
you
define
the
concepts
of
integrity
,
transparency
and
accountability
in
public
administration
?
Slide36Concepts and
principles
The concepts of
integrity, transparency
and
accountability
have been identified by United Nations countries, collectively and individually, as part of the founding principles of public administration.
.
Slide37Concepts and
principles
As such, these principles need to be espoused and seen to be practised by the leadership within the United Nations System and in all member countries
.
Integrity
In public administration,
integrity refers to “honesty” or “trustworthiness” in the discharge of official duties, serving as an antithesis to “corruption” or “the abuse of office
.”
Slide39Transparency
Transparency
refers to unfettered access by the public to timely and reliable information on decisions and performance in the public sector.
Slide40Accountability
Accountability
refers to the obligation on the part of public officials to report on the use of public resources and answerability for failing to meet stated performance objectives.
But what
do
these terms mean, in the abstract and concretely, for the UN administration and for the administrations of its member countries?
Slide41Integrity
In the abstract, for the UN’s own administration,
integrity has been defined as “includ
(
ing
), but not limited to probity, impartiality, fairness, honesty and truthfulness.
“
Transparency
The need for
transparency, though not defined explicitly, has been implied in the founding documents.
More
recently, the UN has acknowledged the need to foster more transparency in access to information, procurement and senior level recruitment.
The
UN’s staff regulations state that “staff members are
accountable
to the Secretary-General for the proper discharge of their functions”, highlighting the importance of
accountability
for performance
Slide43Read the text and answer the following questions:
1. What are the founding principles of public administration according to the United Nations?
2. How are the concepts of integrity, transparency and accountability defined in the framework of the UN administration?
Slide44Translate the following text into Croatian
In public administration,
integrity refers to “honesty” or “trustworthiness” in the discharge of official duties, serving as an antithesis to “corruption” or “the abuse of office.”
Transparency
refers to unfettered access by the public to timely and reliable information on decisions and performance in the public sector.
Accountability
refers to the obligation on the part of public officials to report on the use of public resources and answerability for failing to meet stated performance objectives.