Accountability after Structural Disaggregation: Comparing Agency Accountability Arrangements

Sjors Overman, Marieke Van Genugten, Sandra Van Thiel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

New accountability instruments – performance indicators, audits, and financial incentives – are expected to replace traditional accountability instruments in NPM reforms. We test this expectation by looking at the accountability arrangements of semi-autonomous agencies as a typical example of NPM reforms. Our findings are based on survey data on 342 agencies in six countries. We identify four types of accountability arrangements in semi-autonomous agencies, in line with the four trajectories of public management reform identified by Pollitt and Bouckaert (2004). Accountability relations between agencies and ministries are determined by country-specific administrative regimes, types of agency, and to a lesser extent, agencies' policy fields. We identify new avenues for theory and research into the effects of reforms on accountability in the public sector, and on semi-autonomous agencies in particular.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1102-1120
JournalPublic Administration
Volume93
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2015

Bibliographical note

Special Issue:
Symposium: Global Policy and Transnational Administration

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