Accountability in a contemporary public sector

Abstract

This paper, originally given as the Annual Research Lecture to the CPA Congress, Canberra, 16 November 2005, begins by sketching two general trends which have significantly reshaped the accountability landscape over the last thirty years or so. One is an accountability movement which sought to supplement traditional conventions of ministerial responsibility; the other is the managerialist movement, often known as the ‘New Public Management’. It then discusses in greater detail two more specific issues which are the subject of ongoing research, the impact of the new financial reporting framework and that of outsourcing on the accountability of public services.