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Public Administration vocabulary · Transparency, Audit and Ethics

Accountability

Meaning in public administration, with examples

/əˌkaʊntəˈbɪləti/nounCore term

In public administration, accountability means: The duty of public bodies and officials to explain and justify their decisions and use of resources, and to accept responsibility, including sanctions, when things go wrong.

In Turkish: hesap verebilirlik, hesap verme sorumluluğu

How it is used

Almost always paired with transparency. People talk about lines of accountability, democratic accountability and holding officials to account. The adjective is accountable: Ministers are accountable to parliament.

Example sentences

  1. The new reporting system will strengthen accountability for how grants are spent.

  2. There was no clear accountability when the project went over budget.

Common collocations

  • ensure accountability
  • public accountability
  • lines of accountability
  • transparency and accountability
  • transparencyThe principle that public bodies should act openly, so that citizens can see how decisions are made, how money is spent and who is responsible.
  • auditAn official, independent examination of an organization's accounts, systems or performance to check that money was used properly and rules were followed.
  • ombudsmanAn independent official who investigates complaints from citizens about unfair treatment or poor service by public bodies and recommends ways to put things right.
  • performance indicatorA measurable value used to show how well an organization, programme or service is achieving its objectives, such as waiting times, cost per case or satisfaction rates.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Transparency, Audit and Ethics

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