accountability it is a set of mechanisms that allow an organization's managers to be accountable and accountable for the results of their actions.
The term accountability does not have a specific translation into Portuguese, but it can be related to accountability, oversight and social control.
This term can be applied in private organizations, but it is used especially in the context of public organizations and is an important concept when talking about democratic participation.
accountability in public administration
The exercise of accountability in public management, it aims to reduce the risks of concentration of power and ensure that the population participates in government decision-making.
This contributes to democratic management and requires public managers to be transparent with society in relation to their actions.
However, if public resources come from society, it is only fair that citizens are aware of how their tax dollars are being invested.
Thus, public agents and organizations as a whole must show the population what the policies are developed, where the resources are being used and what are the results of these actions for the society.
For society to be aware of the actions of the State, it is essential that transparency. In Brazil, several mechanisms were created to give more transparency to public administration, some examples are:
- Transparency Portals: pages on the internet where public agencies must provide information on their income and expenses.
- Access to Information Law (LAI): obliges public bodies to provide information of collective interest to any citizen, except for few cases of secrecy.
Through the LAI, any individual can ask the city hall of his city, for example, for information on spending on education, health or culture in his city. This is true for the three branches: legislative, executive and judiciary, and also for all spheres of government: municipal, state, district and federal.
In addition to transparency, it is important that there are reporting channels and accountability mechanisms for cases in which public managers do not act in favor of the collective interest or in disagreement with the norms.
This possibility of overseeing and demanding explanations brings society closer to public administration and allows democracy to be strengthened.
In addition, citizen participation can be very important in the most appropriate targeting of resources and in the formulation of public policies, as society is the target audience of these investments.
THE accountability can be exercised by an individual independently or by civil society organizations, which represent groups of people organized for a common goal.
The exercise of accountability it is related to a cultural aspect, as it is necessary for society to raise awareness that it has the right to know and participate in government decisions.
In countries with a history of authoritarian governments, such as Brazil, it is necessary to strengthen this culture through education and awareness projects.
See the meanings of democracy, public policy and three powers.
accountability vertical and horizontal
With regard to power relations, there are two types of accountability, understand what each of them means:
vertical accountability
THE accountability vertical is when there is a hierarchical relationship between the one who holds the power and the one who supervises and demands accountability.
That is, from the point of view of power, there is an unequal relationship - the accountability it is exercised between superiors and subordinates.
In public administration, the accountability vertical happens between state and population. The most relevant example of this case are the elections.
When choosing their vote, the population can reward a candidate and elect him or they can punish him and not give him votes. The choice of the candidate is made based on the information that the population has about each one of them.
accountability horizontal
THE accountability horizontal happens when there is a mutual control of institutions. There is no difference in hierarchy, as these organizations have powers at the same level. In public administration the accountability horizontally takes place between public bodies.
An example of accountability horizontal is the control that the three powers (executive, legislative and judiciary) make among themselves or the control that takes place between different public bodies.
The Public Prosecutors, the Courts of Auditors and the regulatory agencies are examples of public institutions that exercise the accountability on a horizontal level.
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