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Performance and Accountability—A Theoretical Discussion and an Empirical Assessment

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  • Tom Christensen
  • Per Lægreid

Abstract

This paper starts with a theoretical discussion on the relationship between performance and accountability in public organizations with a special focus on administrative reforms. Accountability theory, based in the work of Dubnick/Romzek, Bovens, Behn, Bouckaert, Halligan and Pollitt, is discussed and related to different aspects of performance. How ambiguous is the relationship between accountability and performance? Do different types of accountability relate to different aspects of performance or pose certain challenges in NPM reforms, post-NPM reforms and hybrid reforms? The second part of the paper illustrates performance and accountability relations in a large welfare administration reform in Norway by addressing the experiences different actor have had of performance and accountability dynamics. We focus on how the reform has affected different kinds of accountability relations and the relationship between accountability and performance. The data used are document studies, interviews and survey data from a large evaluation project. A main finding is that the relationship between administrative reform and accountability is ambiguous and contested. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Tom Christensen & Per Lægreid, 2015. "Performance and Accountability—A Theoretical Discussion and an Empirical Assessment," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 207-225, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:porgrv:v:15:y:2015:i:2:p:207-225
    DOI: 10.1007/s11115-013-0267-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tom Christensen & Per Lægreid, 2011. "Complexity and Hybrid Public Administration—Theoretical and Empirical Challenges," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 407-423, December.
    2. Thomas Schillemans, 2008. "Accountability in the Shadow of Hierarchy: The Horizontal Accountability of Agencies," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 175-194, June.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Maria Teresa Nardo & Georgiana Cristina Codreanu & Fabiana Roberto, 2021. "Universities’ Social Responsibility through the Lens of Strategic Planning: A Content Analysis," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Antoine Genest-Grégoire & Étienne Charbonneau & Daniel E. Bromberg, 2018. "The Sustainability Assumption in Performance Management Reforms: Revisiting the Patterns of Implementation," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 525-542, December.
    5. Dobrolyubova Elena, 2017. "Evaluating Performance of Government Inspection Bodies: A Possible Approach," NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy, Sciendo, vol. 10(2), pages 49-72, December.
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