Accountability: Has it been hollowed out in the modern state?

Abstract

It is generally believed that a democratic form of government rests on the foundation of accountability as government is held accountable to the people through ministerial responsibility. In this paper the notion of accountability has been critically examined and a case has been made that the notion is chameleon in character and is often not adequately understood by its users. It has been argued that accountability has gradually eroded as the new hybrid form of modern governance is based on complex network of relationships which in turn makes it difficult to determine who is accountable to whom and for what. It is concluded that there is a need for strengthening formal accountability institutions as lack of transparency plagues developing countries like Pakistan even more than the developed economies.