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1 - Defining Accountability

from Part I - Accountability Deficits and Overloads

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2020

Ellen Rock
Affiliation:
University of Technology, Sydney
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Summary

There is an extensive body of literature addressing the concept of accountability, replete with overlapping definitions. This chapter introduces readers to this wide body of cross-disciplinary literature to provide a picture of areas of agreement and disagreement amongst theorists. Though accountability remains a contested concept, there is general agreement that accountability refers to a relational mechanism that can be analysed within the framework of the questions: who is accountable, to whom, for what, and how? One of the largest unresolved questions about accountability, as explored in this chapter, is whether it is simply a mechanical concept (ie a description of a mechanism with certain attributes) or more broadly reflects a value or ideal (ie the notion of being an accountable person). The conclusion drawn here is that it is particularly difficult to divorce the concept of accountability from a normative background in discussing concepts of accountability deficits and overloads. Each of these concepts rests on the normative assumption that it is possible to identity an ‘ideal amount’ of accountability.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Defining Accountability
  • Ellen Rock, University of Technology, Sydney
  • Book: Measuring Accountability in Public Governance Regimes
  • Online publication: 28 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108886154.004
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  • Defining Accountability
  • Ellen Rock, University of Technology, Sydney
  • Book: Measuring Accountability in Public Governance Regimes
  • Online publication: 28 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108886154.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Defining Accountability
  • Ellen Rock, University of Technology, Sydney
  • Book: Measuring Accountability in Public Governance Regimes
  • Online publication: 28 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108886154.004
Available formats
×