The Importance of Accountability in Democratic Government

According to Grant and Keohane (2005), accountability suggests that the individuals who are being held to account possess responsibilities to behave in ways that are consistent with acknowledged principles of conduct and that failure to do so will result in sanctions. The administration of the public sector does not exist in a vacuum; the political leadership of government, its public services and the public, are interlaced with one another by political interaction and institutional arrangements. In this way, there is a key prerequisite for accountability from the administration to political leadership.

The system of accountability is binds the political part of government with the administrative part and ultimately to the public itself. Donahue (1989), expressed that the pursuit of the common interest ‘requires a carefully designed structure of accountability that ensures for citizens the best efforts of those who act on their behalf’.

The Interconnected Dynamics of Accountability

There is a general consensus that accountability is one of the pillars upon which good governance rests.

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As per Wohlmuth (1999), good governance mirrors the presence of free press, rule of law and a multiparty democracy, that held political leaders to account in view of the combination of the role of administration and politics. Neoliberal perspectives that commanded from the 1960s onwards supported a moderate job for government. Governments should leave majority of the work to the market. There was a growing need for greater effectiveness and efficiency within the public sector as it relates to prudent management of fiscal resource and improvements in the use of limited resources in a context of increased demand from citizens for goods and services.

Citizens began demanding a well-functioning public sector that delivers quality public services increasingly through beneficial relationships with other sectors. Accountability is a major prerequisite for a democratic government. However, time and again, accountability is seen as an arrangement of control to minimize abuse, to limit misuse and inefficiency. It speaks to more than this. Responsibility is a chance, to improve conduct, profitability, yields, results and effects. It is an opportunity to link institutional, public performance, the individual, and to the formulation of impacts and outcomes in the public interest. Present day public management is in consistent search for improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of public resources in the pursuit of the public´s interest. It is important to distinguish among forms and levels of accountability.

Diverse Dimensions of Accountability

There are different types of accountability systems bureaucratic, legal, political and professional accountability. According to Fulmer (1984), bureaucratic accountability is defined as public rights in comprehending the policies of the organization. As it relates to bureaucracy, accountability is the commitment to be responsible and clarify the performance by organization leader to other parties who possess the authority to request information. Behn (2001) indicates that lawful responsibility manages the way that public managers can be gathered by courts to represent their very own demonstrations, or in the interest of the office all in all. Generally this will be a specific managerial court, in any case, contingent upon the lawful framework and the issue in question, it can likewise be a common or reformatory court. Political accountability manages elected representatives. As it relates to managers in the public sector, accountability to political forums, such as elected representatives or political parties, can be very important. In parliamentary systems such as Jamaica that possess ministerial responsibility and a general civil service, political accountability is exercised through the ministers indirectly at times. However, public managers often times appear before parliamentary committees, for instance on account of parliamentary inquiries. Ultimately, Behn (2001) expressed that professional accountability may infer accountability relationships with disciplinary tribunals and professional associations. Professional bodies set down codes with principles for adequate practice that are official for all individuals. These benchmarks are observed and upheld by all. These standards are monitored and enforced by professional bodies of oversight on the basis of peer review. This form of accountability is especially relevant for public managers who are employed in professional organizations such as schools, police departments and hospitals.

Accountability functions to improve the integrity of governance and promote good financial management. According to Rose-Ackerman (1999), accountability allows for the public sector to be safeguarded against nepotism, corruption, abuse of powers and other forms of untoward behaviour. The assumption is that in holding officials to account, it will act as a deterrence mechanism to prevent them from secretly misusing powers while providing overseers such as interest groups, members of parliament or journalists with important information to trace managerial maltreatment.

Additionally, accountability takes into consideration improved performance which allows for good governance. Accountability intended to encourage institutional learning. Accountability is not merely about control, it is additionally about counteractive action. Standards are internalised, reproduce and, where essential, adjusted through accountability. The manager who is to be held to account in informed about the principles he/she should hold to and about the way that later on he may once more be called to account in connection with his conduct. In such cases, outsiders are often addressed as well, particularly those outsiders likely to find themselves in a similar position to that of the person or persons being called to account.

Accountability also contributes to good governance through it so maintainance or enhancement of the legitimacy. The exercise of public authority is not taken for granted. Public accountability, in the sense of responsiveness,transparency, and answerability, functions to enhance the public's confidence in its government and to bridge the gap between government and governed, representatives and citizens.