Introduction Americans expect government to be effective, efficient, equitable, and accountable Essence of public administration: solving problems using government involves coordinating complex systems and politics is involved

Historical Roots Colonial America – Deep distrust in administrative power – Intentionally left aspects of administration vague Historical growth of government – National bank 1913 – FDR’s New Deal – Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty – George W. Bush investigating citizens for the purpose of eradicating terrorism – BP oil disaster increases public involvement in private organizations

Components of Bureaucratic Responsibility Accountability: faithful obedience to the law, to higher officials’ directions, and to standards of efficiency and economy Ethical behavior: adherence to moral standards and avoidance of even the appearance of unethical actions

What Is Accountability? A relationship between people about things Foundation of bureaucracy because it allows policymakers to control administrators’ actions Accountability may seem negative because it focuses on discovering problems.

Difficulties of Bureaucratic Accountability Elected officials do not want a clear chain of accountability because it makes them more accountable in return. It is important to strike a balance of controls for administrators so work get done… and is well done! Accountability may inhibit bold action and the ability attract the best administrators to public service

Approaches to Accountability Legal boundaries: balancing individual freedom and governmental power − Woodrow Wilson’s “politics-administration dichotomy” idea that elected officials make laws and administrators carry them out Political challenges − John Gaus in 1936 points out that laws are not always clear and impossible to translate into transparent and predictable administrative actions − Herman Finer and Carl Friedrich debate in 1940 whether external controls or professional training maintains administrative accountability Evolving policy problems − After the New Deal neither of the two above solutions are relevant. No longer a hierarchical chain of command, nor a single professional norm as each agency has its own culture

Elements of Accountability Fiscal accountability: concerned with whether agency officials spend money on the programs they are charged with managing and only on those programs – most widespread Process accountability: concerned with how agencies perform their tasks Program accountability: concerned with whether a public program has achieved its purpose as defined in law

Responses to the Accountability Problem Solution hinges on balance between external forces, including efforts by outside controllers, and internal forces, including the character and training of administrators – Voice: the decision by members of an organization to remain within an organization and protest policies and programs with which they disagree – Exit: the decision by members of an organization to leave, especially because they disagree with policies and programs Whistleblowers take it on themselves to disclose activities they believe to be wrong

Public and Private Ethical Standards Standards of ethics higher in the public sector than in the private sector – Shock of “ethical upgrade” Private sector ethics vs. Public Sector Ethics? Challenge for attracting good applicants? – Striking (another) balance between hiring the most skilled administrators and ensuring that public interest is preserved.

Public Service Quality of government depends on the quality of those who work in government and respect bureaucratic accountability and ethical behavior – George H.W. Bush called government service “the highest and noblest calling” – Barack Obama in his 2008 campaign said his goal was “to make government and public service cool again” Public Administration is not just about direct services – it is complicated! Public administration promises to be a fulfilling vocation because of the potential to impact the lives of may, to make a difference!

Conclusion Accountability in the public sector requires striking a balance – Need for bureaucratic responsibility/ethical administrators – At the same time, need administrators to take risks AND make good decisions – Difficult to recruit the best? Important to tie actions with results Critical to meet public demands