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5 - To Whom Should They Be Accountable?

from Part II - Benchmark of Accountability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2020

Ellen Rock
Affiliation:
University of Technology, Sydney
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Summary

This chapter explores two key difficulties encountered in deciding to whom an agent should be accountable for the purpose of an ideal accountability benchmark. First, there are a multiplicity of factors that might influence a prosecutor’s capacity and interest to undertake that role (eg resources, skills and motives). Secondly, we will likely reach differing views on the best choice of prosecutor depending on which accountability rationale we are interested in promoting. So, for instance, if our goal is punishment of wrongdoing we might think it appropriate that this is managed by a state prosecutor to reinforce the seriousness of a transgression. On the other hand, if our goal is to control public power we might think it appropriate to have a very open regime in order to maximise the likelihood that a prosecutor will volunteer for the task. It would be necessary to confront and resolve these difficult questions in order to define a benchmark of accountability.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • To Whom Should They Be Accountable?
  • Ellen Rock, University of Technology, Sydney
  • Book: Measuring Accountability in Public Governance Regimes
  • Online publication: 28 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108886154.009
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  • To Whom Should They Be Accountable?
  • Ellen Rock, University of Technology, Sydney
  • Book: Measuring Accountability in Public Governance Regimes
  • Online publication: 28 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108886154.009
Available formats
×

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.

  • To Whom Should They Be Accountable?
  • Ellen Rock, University of Technology, Sydney
  • Book: Measuring Accountability in Public Governance Regimes
  • Online publication: 28 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108886154.009
Available formats
×