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Defining Accountability

Andreas P. Kyriacou

Published 2020 in Measuring Accountability in Public Governance Regimes

ABSTRACT

Accountability has been defined in the following terms: "A is accountable to B when A is obliged to inform B about A’s (past or future) actions and decisions, to justify them, and to suffer punishment in the case of eventual misconduct" (Schedler, 1999, p.17). To help elucidate this definition consider the role of elections in promoting political accountability. An election gives a chance for the candidate to run for campaigns and attend forums so as to explain and inform their purposes and goals if they are elected. On the other hand, it is also a sanction for those who misbehaved or failed to represent one’s interests in the past tenure – by giving the vote to someone else. The concept of accountability implies that the actors being held accountable have obligations to act in ways that are consistent with accepted standards of behavior and that they will be sanctioned for failures to do so (Grant and Keohane, 2005, p.29). In this brief background paper I will begin by making what I hope will prove a helpful distinction between horizontal and vertical accountability. Having done so, I will present what has been called the accountability cycle pointing to some of the key elements involved in making institutions or bodies more accountable. I will then present an overview of vertical accountability across different world regions so as to give an idea of the sharp differences that exist. I will end this article with some concluding comments on the relevance of these ideas to AAI’s stated mission to help improve the quality of the global response to AIDS and ensure its implementation by holding key actors accountable for their promises and performance.

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