Mechanism of public services’ accountability

Accountability has been defined as the process of making the public authorities/officials, explain, justify and rectify their actions and non-actions to the public. Accountability can be carried out effectively through the institutions which are constitutionally protected, structurally independent, functionally autonomous and behaviourally impartial. Whereas accountability mechanisms refer to the institutionalised processes of holding the public authorities to account. The qualitative method was used such as literature survey and documentary analysis has been carried out to understand, the meaning and nature and mechanism of public services accountability.

The findings shows thattraditional mechanisms of accountability include the elections, legislative scrutiny, courts and government audit. Institution of the ombudsman is a newerand specialised mechanism for holding the public services accountable. Elections and legislative scrutiny mechanisms of accountability do not make the public officials directly accountable. Process of seeking redress and holding public officials to account through courts is costly laborious and time consuming due to which need for the simple, accessible and cheaper avenue of public redress becomes inevitable.The study is to contribute towards viewing the role and mechanism of accountability in public service.