Exploring administrative accountability
By: Saroj, Kumari
.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: Bihar Journal of Public Administration Description: 17(1), Jan-June, 2020: p.25-36.Subject(s): Accountability
In:
Bihar Journal of Public AdministrationSummary: Accountability is the core characteristic of a democratic system. In contemporary democracies, ensuring accountability of ever-expanding apparatus of public administration without adversely affecting its efficiency and effectiveness has emerged as an onerous task. Earlier, Alexander Hamilton and Woodrow Wilson had stressed the need of such control. Carl J. Friedrich and Herman Finer were engaged in fierce debate over it during 1930s-40s. Contemporary scholars Barbara Romzek and Melvin Dubnick provide a framework for analysing accountability. The legislatures have devised various channels to exercise control. But growing scope and complexity of governance made securing accountability increasingly difficult that led to the adoption of departmentally related standing committees (DRSCs) in India. Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Italy were having parliamentary committees attached to various government departments. In United States of America, there are Congressional committees wielding enormous powers. Question arises as to whether DRSCs in India have turned to be a meaningful and effective mechanism. Whether the dilemma of vesting power sufficient to the purposes in view and maintaining adequate control is resolved through the system of DRSCs? It also seeks to explore as to whether the purposive, rational and effective functionalism on the part of DRSCs makes parliamentary control viable and real. The article also seeks to explore whether the tension between democratic governance and administrative effectiveness could be resolved. Both the ecological and structural functional aspects of the issue have sought to be analytically approached. It is argued that with extended the range – depth and breadth – of parliamentary scrutiny, DRSCs constituted a significant improvement in existing – Reproduced
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Articles
|
Indian Institute of Public Administration | 17(1), Jan-June, 2020: p.25-36 | Available | AR124481 |
Accountability is the core characteristic of a democratic system. In contemporary democracies, ensuring accountability of ever-expanding apparatus of public administration without adversely affecting its efficiency and effectiveness has emerged as an onerous task. Earlier, Alexander Hamilton and Woodrow Wilson had stressed the need of such control. Carl J. Friedrich and Herman Finer were engaged in fierce debate over it during 1930s-40s. Contemporary scholars Barbara Romzek and Melvin Dubnick provide a framework for analysing accountability. The legislatures have devised various channels to exercise control. But growing scope and complexity of governance made securing accountability increasingly difficult that led to the adoption of departmentally related standing committees (DRSCs) in India. Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Italy were having parliamentary committees attached to various government departments. In United States of America, there are Congressional committees wielding enormous powers. Question arises as to whether DRSCs in India have turned to be a meaningful and effective mechanism. Whether the dilemma of vesting power sufficient to the purposes in view and maintaining adequate control is resolved through the system of DRSCs? It also seeks to explore as to whether the purposive, rational and effective functionalism on the part of DRSCs makes parliamentary control viable and real. The article also seeks to explore whether the tension between democratic governance and administrative effectiveness could be resolved. Both the ecological and structural functional aspects of the issue have sought to be analytically approached. It is argued that with extended the range – depth and breadth – of parliamentary scrutiny, DRSCs constituted a significant improvement in existing – Reproduced
There are no comments for this item.