Reinforcing accountability in public services: an ICT enabled framework

Abstract

PurposeAlthough accountability has been one of the founding pillars of public services, many countries face situations of lack of accountability of service providers. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for accountability in public services by strengthening traditional accountability relationships among citizens, political authority and service provider, with the use of information and communication technology (ICT).Design/methodology/approachThe research analyses a case of public grievance redressal system in India that is entirely facilitated by ICT. It documents the key processes followed by the system and also examines the performance of the system using quantitative data.FindingsThe research identifies key technical and business characteristics of ICT applications that are intended to improve accountability. The traditional accountability relationship is then placed within an ICT framework to suggest how accountability can be reinforced in public services.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework is based on analysis of single case and therefore cannot be claimed to be comprehensive.Practical implicationsThe framework provides an analytical tool for e‐Government practitioners to design ICT interventions for accountability.Originality/valueMany mechanisms of enforcing accountability have been tried out by developing countries in the past but with little sustainable success. This paper proposes a different method of addressing the problem of poor accountability in public services by highlighting the role of ICT.