01381pab a2200169 454500008004000000100002000040245007800060260000900138300001100147362000800158520091700166650001901083650002601102650001801128700001701146773004801163180718b1999   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aGregory, Robert  aPromoting public service integrity: a case for responsible accountability  c1999  ap.3-15  aDec  aWe discuss below difference between the concepts of accountability and responsibility, in the context of government administration. We argue that New Zealand's public sector reforms, in particular, have depended on an essentially mechanistic as distinct from an organic interpretation of public organisations. A mechanistic approach focuses disproportionately on notions of organisational accountability at the expense of responsibility, and as a consequence may prove counterproductive over the longer term in maintaining high standards of ethical probity. A concept of responsible accountability needs to be developed further as a means of countering this possibility. We speculate on whether the emphasis on contractualism has enhanced or undermined an integrity-based as opposed to a compliance-based ethics regime, and the possible implications of this for the maintenance of ethical standards. - Reproduced  aAccountability  aPublic accountability  aCivil service  aHicks, Colin  aAustralian Journal of Public Administration