Public Accountability, Designs, Dilemmas and Experiences

Source: (2006) Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

“There is an ongoing perception that public accountability in modern-day governance is in “crisis,” caused by globalization and the increasing power of private economic interests. This book responds to that idea, providing a comprehensive survey of how different institutions hold persons acting in the public interest to account, and the various problems they face. It shows how key issues – such as public-mindedness, democracy, and responsibility – and structures – such as bureaucracy, markets, and transparency – adopt different and sometimes contradictory interpretations of what constitutes public accountability. It also demonstrates how underlying these differing interpretations are core communities of experiences that bind them into a complex web of mutual interaction and influence. The book includes studies not only of Anglo-American experiences, but also of the experiences of numerous foreign and transnational organizations.” (excerpt)