Accountability in the realm of public service embodies the fundamental principle that those entrusted with authority and resources must answer for their actions and decisions. It denotes a system where public servants are held responsible for their conduct, performance, and adherence to ethical standards while serving the interests of the public. Individual accountability necessitates that each public servant takes ownership of their actions and outcomes, recognizing their impact on society. Collective accountability emphasizes the shared responsibility among public servants and institutions to deliver transparent, efficient, and equitable services to the community. To uphold accountability, measures such as establishing clear performance objectives, implementing robust oversight mechanisms, fostering a culture of transparency, conducting regular audits, and enforcing consequences for misconduct are essential. Furthermore, promoting stakeholder engagement and encouraging whistleblowing can enhance accountability by enabling public scrutiny and feedback mechanisms. By prioritizing these measures, public service organizations can foster trust, integrity, and effectiveness in their operations, ultimately serving the public interest more effectively.
Tag: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration.
Decoding the Question:
- In Introduction, try to start your answer with a brief introduction on accountability.
- In Body, discuss the measures that can be adopted to ensure individual and collective accountability of public servants.
- In Conclusion, try to end your answer by stating the importance of accountability.
Answer:
Accountability is the obligation of those holding power to take responsibility and be held answerable for their behavior and actions.
Public servants are also answerable in another sense:
- They not only have to perform assigned tasks but also have to follow laws and rules to discharge their functions.
- Accountability implies that public servants should also follow ethical norms whether included in codes of conduct or in ordinary morals.
- Accountability is enforced through external and internal controls.
Actions to ensure public officials’ individual and collective accountability
- Improve transparency about the viability of large projects: Make use of technology to digitize information relevant to important projects and set project deadlines.
- Clarify what citizens get for their money in terms of public services: Strengthen the citizen charter in each major department, and make the use of money received by each department and how they are spent visible every year.
- Reward for exceptional work and review for failures: Promotion should be based on outstanding performance rather than seniority. Failures to meet objectives must also be considered.
- Mandatory Social Auditing: States such as Meghalaya have passed social audit laws, which should be expanded across the country. India
- Instill a code of ethics in civil officials that is consistent with the code of conduct.
- Defined roles and responsibilities, with corresponding authority and resources: There must be a clear basis for assigning certain responsibilities and activities to different levels of the system. Second, the delegation of duties and responsibilities must be complemented by the delegation of resources to enable officials to carry out their tasks.
Accountability is very necessary to weed out corruption and ensure the lives of citizens are improved.
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