Administrative devolution and accountability: the case of the non-profit housing program

Article Abstract:

The problem of bureaucratic accountability has received considerable attention in the literature of public administration, but few studies have considered the extent to which extra-governmental agencies are held accountable to governments or legislatures. This paper examines administrative devolution and the problem of accountability, using the non-profit housing program as an example. It argues that devolution of programs, without adjusting for the resulting loss of bureaucratic control, leaves governments with little information about, or control over, the people who make decisions about large expenditures of public funds. It concludes that if the advantages of using the voluntary sector for social service delivery are to outweigh the problems of reduced accountability, forms of control - such as incentives for compliance and internal professional standards - which do not limit the autonomy of these groups, but which can enhance pre-audit accountability, need to be developed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Housing programs, Case studies, Laws, regulations and rules, Housing, Public housing, Housing management, Administrative responsibility

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Managing for failure and alternatives for managing for success

Article Abstract:

The effectiveness of Canadian governmental agencies and the government as a whole could be improved if the administrative groups within the organization did not wield quite so much power. Administrators with too much power result in government services that are geared to the needs of the administrators, rather than the service producers or the public. Proposed organizational changes for the Canadian government are discussed, including decentralization, emphasis on regional issues and problems, and the establishment of public advisory groups. Also discussed are the barriers to such organizational changes, and how these barriers may be overcome.

Methods, Analysis, Human resource management, Public employees, Government employees, Business success

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