1. Rajendra Adhikari, Director of Studies, NASC
Public sector Accountability: Being Accountable and Holding Accountable
Rajendra Adhikari, Director of Studies, NASC

2. Learning Objectives
By the end of the topic participants will be able to:
Define accountability,
Explain the characteristics of the supply and demand sides of accountability,
Explain the tools of holding and being accountable

3. What is Accountability?
Accountability refers to the process of holding actors responsible for their actions which focuses on ‘answerability’
Two different forms of accountability-
Soft: usually formal processes in which actions are held up to specific standards
Hard: more rigorous minimum standard, including sanctions and/or remedies for wrongdoing (Fox 2007).

4. Accountability
Accountability: enabling stakeholders to check that we do what we say we do.

5. What Makes Public Institutions Accountable?
Be Accountable
Rules & regulations of the state
Standardization of services
Self realization to the ‘social contract’
Capacity building of public institutions
Transparent work culture
Capacity building of oversight agencies
Regular feedback
Hold Accountable
Making citizens aware to service standard
Access to information
Empowering citizens
Civic engagement and citizen oversight
Regular feedback
Citizen’s voice and accountability mechanism

6. Video Case Willing Headmaster can make difference (Dor Bikram Shrees)
What factors made him think and act differently to others?
What he did to make others accountable?

7. (Video: Dor Bikram Shrees)

8. Accountability: Demand & Supply, and Horizontal & Vertical

9. Demand and Supply of Public Accountability
Intermediary
CBOs
Media
Private sector
I/NGOs
Political parties
Civil society
Supply side
State
(Central and Local)
Demand Side
Citizen

10. Demand and Supply of Public Services
Intermediary
CBOs
Media
Private sector
I/NGOs
Political parties
Civil society
Supply side
State
(Central and Local)
Demand Side
Citizen

11. Horizontal and Vertical Accountability
Executive
Civil service/public sector
Legislature
Citizens
Oversight Institutions
Vertical
Diagonal

12. Social Contract
There is always agreement (may not be written) between the state and society (people) for mutual protection and welfare
Eg. People agree to pay tax in return of public services from the state

13. Social Contract and Accountability Framework
Institutions- Structure and system
Collective- Society, Excluded, Community of Practice
Individual- Service Provider
Accountability
Mechanism
Improved public service delivery

14. Bridging the Gaps How do we bridge the gap between demand and supply?
Constructive engagement between actors
Use of accountability mechanisms and tools
Build civil service capacity
Revisit and restructure institutional arrangement Empower and promote awareness among people for creating demands

15. Social accountability (1)
Ordinary citizens participate directly or indirectly in holding service providers to account
Civic engagement in the process of making state accountable
Direct accountability relationships between citizens and the state
Broad range of actions and mechanisms beyond voting that citizens can use to hold the state to account,
NASC-2017
12/3/2018

16. Social accountability (2)
Public officials are called on to inform stakeholders and to justify to them their behavior, actions and results.
Multi stakeholders (government, civil society, media and other societal actors) engagement to make each other accountable.
NASC-2017
12/3/2018

17. Accountability Tools (Few)
Civic Education
Right to Information
Citizen Charter
Public Hearing
Participatory Planning
Social/Public Audit
Public expenditure tracking system, etc.

18. Use of Social Accountability Tools (Visual Learning)
NASC-2017
12/3/2018

19. Social accountability
Social accountability tools enable to:
Promote citizen's engagement
Build trust towards public service providers
Increase transparency & access to information
Grievance redress
Standardization of public service delivery
Enhancing accountability and citizen oversight
NASC-2017
12/3/2018

20. Pillars of Social Accountability

21. Civic Education

22. Right to Information

23. Public Hearing

24. Citizen Charter

25. Discussion
Application
State of social accountability practice

26. Conclusion
Obligation of state and public servants towards society and people (Principle-agent framework)
Absence of accountability breaks the social contract
Need to focus more on WPE
Accountability is meaningful when combined with responsiveness and integrity
NASC-2017
12/3/2018

27. Thank You