Individual, organizational, and institutional accountability: a systematic literature review in public administration

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study reviews accountability’s nature, conceptualization, antecedents, and consequences. It shows that accountability studies in the public administration field are fragmented and incoherent. The results of different studies go in different directions partly because scholars study accountability on different levels: individual, organizational, and institutional/programme. It is suggested that accountability at the individual level, its antecedents and consequences, and the interactivity of human agencies, organizations, and institutions should gain more scholarly attention.