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Public Administration vocabulary · Bureaucracy and Procedures

Delegation of authority

Meaning in public administration, with examples

nounCommon term

In public administration, delegation of authority means: The formal transfer of the power to make certain decisions from a senior official to a more junior one or to another unit, usually in writing and within set limits.

In Turkish: yetki devri, yetki devretme

How it is used

Common in internal rules and audit reports. A delegation of authority sets out who may approve what, for example payments up to a certain amount. The verb is delegate: The minister delegated signing authority to the director-general.

Example sentences

  1. Under the new delegation of authority, department heads can approve purchases up to 50,000 lira.

  2. Auditors found that some payments were approved without a valid delegation of authority.

Common collocations

  • written delegation of authority
  • signing authority
  • delegate responsibility
  • scheme of delegation
  • hierarchyA system in which people or units are arranged in levels of authority, with each level reporting to the one above it.
  • sign offTo give final official approval to a document, plan, payment or piece of work, often by signing it.
  • decentralizationThe transfer of powers, responsibilities and resources from central government to regional or local bodies, so that decisions are made closer to the people affected.
  • accountabilityThe 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.

More terms: Bureaucracy and Procedures

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