Abstract
In contemporary public governance, leaders of public organizations are faced with multiple, and oftentimes conflictual, accountability claims. Drawing upon a survey of CEO’s of agencies in seven countries, we explore whether and how conflictual accountability regimes relate to strategic behaviors by agency-CEO’s and their political principals. The presence of conflictual accountability is experienced as a major challenge and is associated with important behavioral responses by those CEO’s. This article demonstrates empirically how conflictual accountability is related to (a) controlling behaviors by principals, (b) constituency building behaviors by agencies, and (c) a general pattern of intensified contacts and information processing by both parties.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1232-1262 |
Number of pages | 31 |
Journal | Administration and Society |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors first thank Maj Grove Jeppesen (Utrecht University), and then Daniel Bailey (University of Sheffield), Martin Moos (Aarhus University), Annbj?rg Ryssdal (University of Bergen), Antonia Sattlegger (Utrecht University), Manuel Quaden (Utrecht University), Amanda Waldenstr?m (University of Gothenburg), and Ella Weisbrot (Australian National University) for their excellent research assistance. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by NWO, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO Vidi Grant ?Calibrating Public Accountability?: NWO Vidi 452-14-008.
Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by NWO, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO Vidi Grant “Calibrating Public Accountability”: NWO Vidi 452-14-008.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
Funding
The authors first thank Maj Grove Jeppesen (Utrecht University), and then Daniel Bailey (University of Sheffield), Martin Moos (Aarhus University), Annbj?rg Ryssdal (University of Bergen), Antonia Sattlegger (Utrecht University), Manuel Quaden (Utrecht University), Amanda Waldenstr?m (University of Gothenburg), and Ella Weisbrot (Australian National University) for their excellent research assistance. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by NWO, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO Vidi Grant ?Calibrating Public Accountability?: NWO Vidi 452-14-008. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by NWO, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO Vidi Grant “Calibrating Public Accountability”: NWO Vidi 452-14-008.
Keywords
- accountability
- agencies
- conflictual accountability
- governance