1. Accountability, Transparency
&
Their impact on Public Administration
By
Md. Shamsul Arefin
A member of Bangladesh Civil Service
Belongs to 84 Batch (Admin)
A class note for the ACAD Course
Dated : 05-12-2012 at 6.15 pm
BPATC, Savar, Dhaka.
2. Traditional Public AdministrationTraditional Public Administration
Modern Public AdministrationModern Public Administration
Active participation
Democratic Inclusion
Inclusiveness ofInclusiveness of
Civic SocietyCivic Society
State & Democracy
Oppositional
Civil Society
Diverse
groups,
pluralism
Corporatism
Election
vote
Bureaucracy
State
Citizen
PublicOfficials
Citizen
• Shared Decision
• Collaborative Discussion
• Dialectical Exchanges
• Trust
• Open
• Honest
Governing State
• Hierarchical relationship
• Direct, Command
Social issues
Governing for the
betterment of Society
High Performance
Citizen
3. Accountability
Accountability refers to the obligation on
the part of public officials to report on the
process of public resources &
answerability for failing to meet stated
performance objectives.
Obligation
Answerability
Require to answer with reason
4. AccountabilityAccountability
Ensure Optimum use of ResourceEnsure Optimum use of Resource
End CorruptionEnd Corruption
InternalInternal
&&
External CheckExternal Check
InspectionInspection AuditAudit Monitoring &Monitoring &
EvaluationEvaluation
))
Own SatisfactionOwn Satisfaction
Clients SatisfactionClients Satisfaction
Optimum use of resourceOptimum use of resource
End CorruptionEnd Corruption
CorrectiveCorrective
MeasuresMeasures
Award /HonorAward /Honor
CInInCInIn
GeneratorGenerator
Own answer
PenaltyPenalty
IntegrityIntegrity Law & RulesLaw & Rules
5.
6.
7.
8. Transparency
Transparency is about the sharing of information
about government decisions and activities, good
records management and access to information
etc.
There is emerging potential for new forms of
conflict of interest involving an individual’s private
interests and public duties.
10. Transparency
Transparency is introduced as a means of holding public officials
accountable and fighting corruption. When government meetings are
open to the press and the public, when budgets and financial
statements may be reviewed by anyone, when laws, rules and
decisions are open to discussion, they are seen as transparent and
there is less opportunity for the authorities to abuse the system in
their own interest.
Transparency is the opposite of privacy; an activity is transparent if
all information about it is open and freely available.
11. Transparency & Accountability
in public administration
Citizens expect public servants to serve the public interest with fairness
and to manage public resources properly on a daily basis.
Fair and reliable public services and predictable decision-making inspire
public trust and create a level playing field for services
The transparency and accountability in public administration are a
prerequisite to public trust.
Corruption and maladministration in this context could be seen as not
only individual acts but also the results of systemic failure
Publicized corruption and administrative failure cases have had a major
negative impact on trust in public.
12. Public Trust
Create more institutions to reduce corruption . increasing citizen
access to information about government programs, activities and
performance and informing citizens of their rights and
responsibilities
An important component of this function is involving more and
better training the press to report on integrity and accountability of
public sector entities.
Gaining and keeping public trust must be approached holistically,
as the threads of integrity, transparency and accountability
together uphold all public trust.
Integrity refers to “honesty” or “trustworthiness” in the discharge of
official duties, serving as an antithesis to “corruption” or “the abuse
of office.”
14. Corruption
Bid collusion, inflated invoices, kickbacks to influence
award of contracts, theft or misuse of project assets, abuse
of official discretion, disclosure of privileged information to
assist friends/ relatives, falsification of accounts, audit
anomalies etc.
4
“Corruption hurts the poor disproportionately – by diverting
funds intended for development, undermining a government’s
ability to provide basic services, feeding inequality and injustice,
and discouraging foreign investment and aid”
15. Transparency in Public Works
In the context of transparency mechanisms,
Construction is the most corrupt sector, according
to TI’s 2010 Bribe Payers Index. The size of the
sector is globally US $3.2 trillion per annum.
Construction infrastructure accounts for a high
percentage of government investment budgets in
all countries. Therefore, tackling construction can
have a high overall impact on corruption.
16.
17.
18. Corruption in Public Works
Corruption in construction raises cost and lowers quality of
infrastructure. It leads to bad investments, damages the environment,
leads to deaths (through ignoring building codes), undermines
economic and sustainable development
Risks for corruption in construction exist throughout design, planning,
preparation, contracting and implementation. Risks include bribery,
collusion, deception and abuse of unexposed conflicts of interest.
To curb financial, environmental and human damage from corruption
in construction, government must assure transparency of
preparation, procurement and execution process and enforce all
relevant laws.
Civil society and the media should monitor public construction
projects.
19. Impact of Corruption
Unethical practices, bribery, and fraud have a very real human
cost.
whether it be in the lives and health of people who are robbed
of quality health care and medicines or children who are not
properly educated.
The financial and even public safety costs of corruption are
astonishing.
A lack of public trust undermines and even destroys political
stability.
Corruption remains the single most significant obstacle to
achieving the development of the country.
21. Accountability & Transparency
leads to Good Governance
Good governance provides a platform that enables
the Government to operate efficiently, effectively
and transparently and to be accountable to the
public. Primary Principles of Good Governance
include:
• Public participation in Government
• Respect for the rule of law
• Freedom of expression and association
• Transparency and accountability
22. Press
Electronic
& Print Media
Civil Society
CBO, NGO,
1) Citizens Report Card
2) Social Audit
3) Community Awareness
4) Parliamentary oversight
5) Anti corruption Initiatives
1) Free information
2) Organizational loyalties
3) Efficiency
4) Time bound
5) Commitment
6) Competition
7) Satisfactory Service
People
Good Governance
Ensuring Transparency & Accountability
24. GOVERNANCE
• Governance as the manner in which power
is exercise by the government in the
management of a country’s social and
economic resources - (CIDA)
• Governance as the exercise of economic,
political and administrative authority to
manage a country’s affairs at all lever –
(UNDP)
25. GOVERNANCE
• Therefore governance is viewed as
comprising the mechanisms, processes and
institutions through which citizens and
groups
• articulate their interest
• exercise their legal rights
• meet their obligations and
• mediate their differences
27. Good Governance
Pillars of Good Governance:
Transparency
Accountability
Participation
2
Good governance is integral to economic growth, the
eradication of poverty and hunger, and sustainable
development. The views of all oppressed groups, including
women, youth and poor, must be heard & considered by
governing bodies because they will be most negatively
affected if good governance is not achieved
Source : World Banks report
29. Features of Good Governance
• UNDP identifies the principle
characteristics of effective governance as:
- Political legitimacy & accountability
- Freedom of association and participation
- A reliable legal system
- Accountability of public service
- Freedom of information expression
- Effective & efficient management of the
public sector
- Freedom of expression & the role of media
30. • Enabling People’s Satisfaction
• Ensuring good governance
• Ensuring participation of public
• Eliminating corruption &
• Empowering people
Impact of Accountability and Transparency
31. Implementation Process of
Accountability
ELEMENTS ISSUES
1. PROCUREMENT • Ensure transparent and efficient procurement at national, provincial &
commune levels
2. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT • Ensure strong internal controls at central, provincial, district & commune
levels
• External/ internal audit capacity
• Minimize cash transactions
• Adoption of Merit-Based Performance Incentive by project.
3. DISCLOSURE • Minimize possible conflicts of interest among project staff;
• Enhance transparency through public disclosure of project information
4. CIVIL SOCIETY ROLE • Provide for greater involvement by Civil Society Organizations
5. COMPLAINTS & REMEDIES
MECHANISM
• Provide overall complaints and grievances mechanism covering all
aspects of project
6. CODE OF ETHICAL CONDUCT • Require all staff to adhere to Code of Ethical Conduct
7. SANCTIONS • Reinforce Code of Ethical Conduct with sanctions for fraudulent/ corrupt
activity by project staff, contractors, suppliers & consultants.
8
32. • Information pertaining to any of public authorities
• Photocopies of Government contracts, payment, estimates,
measurements of engineering works, drawings, records books
and registers etc.
• Samples of materials used in the construction of any Government
project like roads, drains, buildings etc.
Accountable Governance allows people to access any:
33. How Civil Society can help in establishing
Accountability?
Civil society or civil institutions can be in
totality referred to as voluntary, civic and
social organizations or institutions which
form the basis of a functioning society as
opposed to the force backed structures of a
state (regardless of that state's political
system).
Continuous checks of citizen can help in
establishing Accountability.
34. Citizen-Centered Collaborative
Public Management
Bureaucracy
Civil Society
Information Exchange
Electoral
People
Civil Society Approach in
Establishing Accountability in
Administration
Enhancing
Government
Trust in citizens
Enhancing
Government
Effectiveness
Enhancing Citizen
Efficacy
Enhancing
Government
Responsiveness
Enhancing Government
Competence
Enhancing Citizen Trust in
Government
35. Inputs Activities Outputs Effects*
efficiency/productivity effectiveness
*Effects (outcome) are nor part of the
production process; they refer to the impacts on
society
Understanding of Effectiveness
37. Performance measurement development and integration
into existing and new decision processes and systems
Communication of performance information about
programs and activities
Changed/improved communication among program/
agency staff and with external stakeholders and
policymakers
Better management of programs and public organizations;
more informed fiscal allocation decisions
Improved program quality, responsiveness,
and effectiveness
Long-term
outcomes
Intermediate
outcomes
Initial
outcomes
Outputs
Activities
Performance Achieved
38. Social Audit
Social Audit is an independent and
participatory evaluation of the performance
of a public agency or a programme or
scheme. Social Audit enables the Civil
Society to assess whether a public authority
lives up to the shared values and objectives
it is committed to.
It can be ensured through transparency and
accountability in administration
39. Principles of Social Audit
Complete transparency in the process of
administration and decision-making
Right based entitlement for all the affected persons
to participate in the process of decision making and
validation.
Immediate and public answerability of all
representatives & functionaries of a public authority
to affected people on relevant actions & inactions.
40. An Example of Internal check & External monitoring
• Attendance of medical officer and other staff
• Field visits & supervisory visits of the PHC staff
• Stock registers and inventory of medicines
• No. of Outpatients treated
• No. of Surgeries conducted and their success rate
• Inspection of immunisation registers & cold chain
• Inspection of other relevant registers
• Samples of medicines being supplied to patients.
In Primary Health Services
41. An Example of Internal check & External monitoring
• Teacher Attendance Registers
• Pupil Attendance Registers
• Teaching standards in the schools (Curriculum and daily lessons)
• Enrollment and drop-out rate of students
• Student performance (Progress reports)
• Implementation of Mid-Day Meal Programme
• Infrastructure standards in schools (Class rooms, black boards,
teaching aids, toilets etc.)
In Primary Education
42. Conclusion
• Transparency & Accountability will always be
there with sustainable human development
and good governance.
• Good governance is an ideal which is difficult
to achieve in its totality.
• Very few countries and societies have come
close to achieving good governance in its
totality.
• If the Good Governance is established the
impact of Transparency and Accountability
will autonomically be exposed.
43.
44. 05/03/18 Md. Shamsul Arefin 44
Which of the following acts, you consider as an act
without accountability and why:
• Influencing government contracts in return for
financial or other gains.
• Promotion of unqualified individuals for political
reasons or other gains.
• Favouring relatives and friends e.g. appointing them to
good positions (nepotism).
45. 05/03/18 Md. Shamsul Arefin 45
Please indicate how much do you agree with the
following statements:
I would feel comfortable helping my family member to get a job
in my govt office, provided they were qualified.
I would feel comfortable helping my family member to get a
job in my govt office even if they were not as qualified as another
candidate.
I would feel obligated to use my influence as a civil servant to
help my friend / relative with a problem if I could.
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