Unpacking Transparency and Accountability Measures

Accountability is broadly defined as the obligation of those holding power to take responsibility for their behaviour and actions. Essentially the term encapsulates three main elements; answerability- the need for justification of actions; enforcement- the sanction that could be imposed if the action is found to be unsatisfactory and responsiveness - the ability of those held accountable to respond to the demands. Interwoven in these core elements is the notion of transparency, which is defined as ‘the degree to which information is available to outsiders that enables them to make informed decisions and or to assess the information made by insiders’.