TOPIC 4.9: Models of Accountability

The Westminster-based system of checks and balances and the separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers that give rise to the concept of responsible government were addressed in GSZ631 Managing within the Context of Government. In this model, the executive is responsible to parliament, which is answerable to the people who exercise their choice of representatives through the ballot box at elections.

As citizens, clients and stakeholders participate more in the activities and processes of government, the responsibility of the public manager for processes, outputs and outcomes that result from implementation of policy and the delivery of services can be collaborative, complex and contested.

For managers, in simple terms, accountability may be reflected in the documents (agreements, contracts, specifications) to which you are a signatory. Accountability may relate to your delegated authority to spend public funds or to enact a legislated function. For network managers a shared understanding by the parties of their contribution and commitments informs their accountability.

Let’s consider eight models of accountability:

1

Process model: Transparency, disclosure and redress
  • Transparency refers to ensuring government structures, operations and decision-making processes are clear and open for observation and participation by people.
  • Disclosure refers to timely reporting of programs and financial performance in accordance with approved plans.
  • Redress refers to providing means for individuals to appeal against decisions affecting them.

2

‘Principles of public life’ model: Open to scrutiny
  • Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

3

Human rights model: Equity and access
  • Accountability stands for impartiality and the equal protection of all with regard to human rights.

4

Functional model: Being held to account for administrative conduct
  • Public – the obligation to account to the electorate for policy decisions and actions taken on behalf of government.
  • Financial – being accountable for the efficiency, probity and use of public assets and resources.
  • Legal – accountability for the legitimacy of the ways in which legal and other powers have been exercised.
  • Managerial – accountability of managers for the achievement of program and performance objectives.

5

Transparency model: Decision-making
  • Includes accuracy, timeliness and honesty in the provision of information.

6

Clinical Governance model: Ethics

  • Above all, do no harm.

7

Systems model: Value chain
  • Relationships between inputs (resources), throughput (activities, productivity, quality) and outputs (products and services) and outcomes (benefits for the community).

8

Public value model: Strategic triangle
  • Public managers access authorizing environments within the system of government, or through co-producers, to get resources to achieve results i.e. create public value – in the public interest.

You may understand your accountability as a hybrid of the models above. For managing out purposes it’s vital that the stakeholders in the process collectively understand or define their shared and individual accountabilities.

Managing public information, particularly in cross sector policy and service environments is an ever-present accountability challenge.

Recommended
30 mins

Activity

Please map how accountability works in your policy or service environment. Use rich picture techniques to illustrate your accountability model.

  • What mechanisms and procedures in your organisation are designed to make processes of decision-making transparent?

Reflection

Think about record-keeping in your context.

  • How are electronic records maintained in your organisation?
  • Is there a policy?
  • Are there systems to support their retention?
  • Are policies and systems well known to staff?
  • What is the effect of the requirement to maintain electronic records?
  • Have there been cases where missing or excessively informal electronic records have caused a problem in your agency?
  • Who’s accountable?

License

GSZ633 Managing Outwards in a Networked Government Copyright © by Queensland University of Technology. All Rights Reserved.

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