publicaccountability
Public accountability refers to the obligation of public officials and institutions to justify their decisions, actions, and use of public resources to citizens and oversight bodies. It rests on democratic legitimacy, the rule of law, and the expectation that power is exercised responsibly and for public benefit.
It encompasses multiple dimensions: political accountability (election-based oversight by voters and legislators), legal accountability (adherence to
Mechanisms include transparency measures (open budgets, public reporting, open data), access to information laws, performance and
While closely linked to internal accountability, public accountability emphasizes external answerability to the public and legal
In the digital age, open data, real-time dashboards, and data-driven auditing enhance accountability, but also raise