Mechanisms to Improve Accountability in the Public Sector

Abstract

Incidents of a lack of accountability, often associated with an element of corruption, among
public officials and institutions when rendering public services, is a worldwide occurrence.
In an attempt to address this governance tendency, governments increasingly look towards
more sophisticated managerial methods such as improved monitoring and evaluation
systems, and performance management systems, to address accountability deficits in
governance. Such a managerial method is not necessarily similar to the rational theory as a
remnant of the New Public Management (NPM). The prevailing belief in the NPM is that
improved effectiveness and efficiencies enhance accountability and eliminate corruption.
Accountability, however, is a political concept that relates to a power discourse. Citizens are
often unable to influence government decisions affecting their lives and eliminate the
abuse of power by the government. A key challenge in practice is, accordingly, to create
forms of accountability in terms of which citizens can have control over and sanction such
abuse of power. This type of approach necessarily positions accountability in a non-rational
neo-institutional theory framework. The article explores existing accountability
mechanisms that scholars propose as solutions to address governance challenges and to
strengthen weak accountability. These mechanisms are analysed so as to indicate
weaknesses and strengths of each. It then deals with other accountability mechanisms that
relate to a neo-institutional theory framework and discusses strengths and weaknesses of
those mechanisms. The article concludes with proposals of alternative innovative
accountability mechanisms with which citizens could hold the public sector to account.