Jagannath University, Dhaka

Department of Public Administration

Assignment on
Governance, Accountability, Transparency of Public
Administration
Course Title: Public Administration theory and debates
Course Code: PAD- 5101
Submitted to: Shamima Akhter
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Administration
Jagannath University, Dhaka

Submitted by: Group-3 Date of submission: 09.07.2021

 Members of Group-3:
Serial Name Id Number
1 Md. Usuf Ali M-190407021
2 Ahsan Habib M-190407022
3 Dipti Sarder M-190407023
4 Prosanta Paul M-190407024
5 Most. Mila Akter M-190407025
6 Md. Sayem Sarker M-190407026
7 Lia Begum M-190407027
8 Jumman Chowdhury M-190407028
9 Md. Josim Uddin M-190407029
10 Md. Masud Rana M-190407030
11 Md Borhan Uddin -
Accountability:
Accountability is also an effective measure against corruption in public officials (muhit,1999). A
basic value in democracies that administration is held accountable for its actions and inactions
generally accountability means answerability for the discharge of duties or conduct. it requires
satisfactory reasons to be provided for one’s conduct and an acknowledgement of responsibility
for one’s actions. accountability is not only the foundation of any governing process but also
check on power and authority exercised by both politician and administrators.
Jabra and Dwivedi state that “Public service involves the methods by which a public agency or a
public official fulfills its duties and obligations and the process by which that agency or the
public official is required to account for such action”
Types of Accountabilities:

Administrative Accountability:
Administrative accountability is a key factor in ensuring an effective check on power and
authority exercised by administrators so we can say that administrative accountability means
making the civil servant answerable for their actions administrative accountability has two types
the restoration of electoral democracy in 1991 paved the way to transparency and accountability
of the executives to the parliament
Administrative accountability and control:

Accountability
and Control

Internal External
Accountability and Accountability and
Control Control

Internal control and accountability: these are a part of administrative machinery and work
automatically and spontaneously it comprises of –
1. Budgetary system control: every department and official are given information about
the amount of funds they have and they have to perform within it. if it goes overboard
then they will be accountable. these funds are passed by legislature through voting and it
is not easy to get and once they are used, they are audited by the CAG and finance
ministry sanctions funds to the departments and ministries once parliament passes it.
Example: To ensure transparency and accountability in government procurement the
IMED (Implementation Monitoring and Evolution Division) Department has launched a
citizen portal called “Government kroy Batayon”. The purpose of the portal is to inform
the public about the transparency of the government procurement.
2. Personnel management control: Every official is made aware of his rank, grade and
salary and there are rules and regulations that govern the work conditions and conduct of
the personal and if that is not followed and then a prescribed punishment is meted out.
Example: the code of conduct 1979 will be applicable to all employees engaged in civil
services under the government of Bangladesh inside and outside.
3. Organizational and management control: Regular inspection are done and requisite
Training is provided to officials for efficient execution of their responsibilities. Example:
the Public Service Commission inspects and reviews the subordinate situation of the
ministries, departments, joint offices and offices for the best of manpower. Sometimes
has been given training.
4. Administrative ethics and professional standards: moral and accepted beliefs of
behavior are promoted amongst officials. An Unscrupulous, Unprincipled government
official and employee is a threat to state.
5. Administrative leadership: Acceptance increases within a hierarchy and position and
that is encourage to keep motivation and morale of the officials going. it should not be
seen only in the negative line of a control mechanism for the irrational patterns of
individual employee’s activities but as a positive mechanism of harmonizing individual’s
activities into rational patterns. Example: Gold standard (discipline, integrity, execution)
of a leader builds an individual understanding. a good leader creates expectations among
employees. for the result, they can understand what they will do and what they need to do
to be accountable for their part.
 6. Hierarchy: This hierarchy is maintained from top to bottom. every official is
accountable to their supervisor or manager and the most senior managers are accountable
to the parliament. The administration of Bangladesh is organized hierarchically with
secretariat at the top. in the upper-level administration is accountability is upward from
an assistant secretary of a section to a secretary of a section to a secretary of a division or
department who is in turn is directly responsible and accountable to the minister in charge
secretariat set up in Bangladesh:

Headed by Minister
Ministry

Headed by a secretary or an additional secretary

Division

Headed by a joint secretary

Wing

Branch Headed by a joint secretary

7. Annual Confidential Report (ACR): Each civil servant has an ACR written by their
supervisor or manager. Promotions, demotions, rewards and punishments are largely
dependent on this ACR. However, the ACR and the promotion and transfer systems are
viewed by many Bangladesh civil officers as unfair due to absence of objective criteria
for the assessment.
External Control & Accountability:
A thing to note is that external and internal controls are not exclusive categories but are
interdependent and complement and supplement each other. external control basically
controlled within the constitutional machinery e.g., Legislative control, executive control,
judicial control, citizens characters, right to information, social audit are also form of external
control the parliament of Bangladesh traditionally exercises control over executives and
public services to make accountable.

Parliamentary system accountability:

 1. Parliamentary Questions: Members can put questions to ministers about the work of
their departments. if a minister is questioned in the parliament for any of their acts, then
the question must be answered in the parliament.
2. Delegated legislation: Normally the legislature entrusted with the job of making laws but
in complex and stressful condition of modern society properly leads to a situations of
delegate society. Parliament makes the laws in a skeleton form and authorities the
executive to make detailed rules and regulations within the framework of parent laws.
legislature should clearly spell out the limit of the power delegated so that there is control
maintained.
Financial Control & Accountability:
1. Budgetary System: this is the most important technique of the parliamentary control
award administration the parliament controls the revenues and expenditure of the
government through enactment of the budget.
2. Audit System: This is an important tool of parliament control over administration the
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) On behalf of parliament audit the account of
government and submit an annual audit report about financial transaction of the
government the report of CAG highlights, illegal, unwise, uneconomical and irregular
expenditure of the government.
3. Public Accounts Committee: PAC Deals with audit objections based on the annual, the
performance audit report and the special audit report prepared by the comptroller and
auditor general (CAG).
4. Public Estimate Committee (EC): The committee has better potential than the other in
ensuring financial discipline. since the beginning of the seven parliament, the estimates
have been very active with the respect to detecting financial irregularities and
misappropriation of funds by the government.

Executive Control and Accountability: Executive control over administration means the
control is exercised by the chief executive which is general, periodical, informational and
reportative. the executive control is fuller in content, continuous, stimulate corrective and
directive.
1. Policy direction: The cabinet formulates administrative policies and enjoy the power
of direction, supervision and Coordination with regard to its implementation thus
through political direction the minister control the operations of administrative
agencies working under his ministry or department.
2. Appointment and removal: This are the most effective means of executive control
and make administration accountable the executive plays an important role in
personnel management and make personal accountable the minister play an important
role in the Selection and appointment of secretaries and heads of department.
3. Judicial control and accountability: The control and accountability exercise by the
court over administrative acts is called judicial control. the primary objective of
 judicial control award administration is the protection of the rights and liberties of
citizens by ensuring the legality of administrative acts.
4. Judicial Review: it is the power of the court to examine the legality and
constitutionality of administrative act. if any work of the government officials
violates the constitution law, he or she will be punished.
5. Administrative Tribunal: According to the constitution article 117 administrative
tribunal will be established to try corruption public officials will be accountable for
their illegal acts the judicial branch of government to freely exercise its authority not
only to protect fundamental rights of the citizen but to contain and penalize wrongful
acts by the bureaucrats through the issuing of direction or orders or writs like ‘Habeas
Corpus’, ‘Mandamus’, ‘Prohibition’.
Transparency:
Transparency in public administration is the right of people. it is the freedom to know the details
of the steps and measures taken by different elements of the system. transparency is the right of
public access to the key information. transparency is a fundamental requirement for the
reliability and integrity or public institution. in order to promote public trust and support,
transparency in public administration guarantees legal assurance and increase the level of
legitimacy in making process. but our main concern is government transparency or transparent
government. transparency based on the openness accountability and honesty. this transparency
Broke the traditional concept of government which is characterize by protective disclosure,
requesting public records and campaign finance disclosure. Side by side Transparent governance
is the availability of information on government policies and action, a clear sense of
organizational responsibility and assurance of Corruption free systematic and efficient
Administration. Transparency in public administration has great impact in the process of public
Administration reform by promoting the level of efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness
and combating Corruption. As the main components of the concept of good governance and
good administration, transparency as one of the basic principles of good governance implies the
public insight in the work of public administration bodies where citizen should be enabled to
inspect the work of public administrator as well as the availability of instrument for monitoring
the decision-making process.
Types of Transparency:

Transparency

Proactive Reactive
Transparency Transparency

Proactive Transparency:
It involves the publication of information of public importance before the public requires them. it
is a belief that there is a general right of the public to know and the proactive transparency is
mechanism for exercising the right.
Reactive Transparency:
It involves about the people's right to know. if people want any information about administration,
the authority will bound to open or publish information.
Different dimensions of transparency:
1. Openness in public dealings.
2. Right to information relating to service delivery process.
3. Right to information relating to the criteria and their applications.
4. Right to information relating to public expenditure or contract.
5. Enactment relating to the right to information.
6. Code relating to access to information.
7. Openness in the cost of the project quality standard etc.
Mechanism for Ensuring transparency in Bangladesh:
Government in our country to ensure transparency use two types of mechanisms such as:
1. Legal mechanism for ensure transparency
2. Institutional mechanism for ensure transparency
Legal Mechanism:
The access to information or freedom of expression is the precondition to the fulfillment of all
other rights in democratic society. Access to information and freedom of expression are closely
connected. if information is not available, the freedom of expression will be meaningless. these
have been recognized as Human rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. this Right includes
freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom either alone or in Community with others
and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching practice and freedom of
opinion and expression.
Constitutional Provisions:
Through articles 11 and 39 government ensure transparency.
Article-11 Democracy and human right, “the Republic shall be a democracy in which
fundamental human rights and freedoms and respect for dignity and worth of the human person
shall be guaranteed.”
Article-39, “Freedom of thought and conscience is guaranteed.”
it constraints-
1. The right of every citizen to Freedom of speech and expression.
2. Freedom of the press are guaranteed.
Right to Information Act (2009): Under this act every employee of government, non-
government, semi- autonomous, autonomous, statutory organization show their own profile
[name, designation, address, phone number, email address] introducing website in very ministry.
government officials are one of the requirements of this act. in the other hand this act
recommended all officials are bound to give information to the citizen if they want within 15
days.
 the establishment of independent information Commission [as watching dog authority
of implementing right to Information Act].
Government Service Rule (1979):
It has specified that disclosures of departmental information would be punished. Moreover, there
are some existing laws which are making hindrance in the way of ensuring the objective of right
Information Act. these are:
1. Official Secrets Act (1923)
2. Section of the Evidence Act (1872), (123, 124, 162)
3. Rules of Business, 1996, [28(1)]
4. Government Servants (Conduct) Rule 1979 (19)
Institutional Mechanism:
 Decentralization: This transparent bureaucracy creates opportunities for the acceptable
and understandable decision-making process. this is only possible when the
administrative system decentralized up to the local area and people are given the
opportunity to participate in decision making process. the local government is result of
the concept of decentralization. as a result, local people get the chance to know what is
going on inside the government. in order to ensure transparency and remove the suffering
of the people, Govt. arranges different programs in local level such as ward shava, pre
budget session.
 Independent Newspaper: In the establishment of transparent, government press and
media play an important role and the observer’s responsibility. in the case of mischief,
irregularity and wrong function disclosure, the newspaper has huge responsibilities. only
if the democratic environment prevails in the country, the media can work independently
and effectively.
 Ombudsman: In order to ensure transparency, the Ombudsman is mentioned in article
77 of the constitution of Bangladesh. Ombudsman is an effective arrangement for the
people to face direct complaints against the administration. when the ombudsman system
is implemented, it is possible to reduce the distance between democratic government and
people.
 Government Money: Publicly, the budget is a strategy to control public money.
Authority allocates government funds to different expenditure. the budget is mainly a
revenue administration and money allocation document. this document indicates the
source of income and proposed expenditures that ensures transparency because these
documents are open for all and all know about the government earnings and expenditures.
  Parliamentary Question- Answer: Members of parliament have the opportunity to ask
administration about various issues related to the government policies and activities. in
short notice, the minister responsible for any government activity has to explain publicly.
supplementary questions may also arise to this regard. This questions always alert
administration and ministers because it usually reflects public opinion. publicly asked the
ministers but in reality, the government officials made the answers to these questions.
These questions and responses session were circulated in the newspaper and television.
 Training: The government’s responsibility is to train the all-government officials. The
objective is to know the government policies, procedures and programs. this is helpful to
ensure transparency of the government.
 Transparency of the Judiciary: Independent judiciary is the essential requirement of
transparency. our judiciary division ensures transparency in such a way:
 Existence of a website.
 Publishing and updating of laws and regulations as well as decisions.
 Budgets, salaries background, assets and income and disciplinary matters on
relevant officials.
 Publishing the court’s agenda.
 Publishing of bidding and procurement information for contracts.
 Access and information regime.
 Comptroller and Auditor General: CAG is the most important organ which plays
important role to ensure transparency. it justified whether the money approved by the
parliament are spent for the purpose intended and ineffective and efficient manner. After
such auditing the CAG submits the report.
 Parliamentary Committees: Different parliamentary committees work as dog of every
ministry. they sometimes play the role of shadow ministry because by this committee
every employee of the ministry is bound to do their work properly and give the
information properly.
 Election Commission: freedom of expression is the fundamental rights of the people. In
democratic system, people control the government power by giving vote. honest,
qualified and eligible people's representative is the precondition of that transparency if
election Commission ensured free and fair election then eligible persons are elected and
that will ensure transparency.

How to ensure good governance through accountability and transparency in democratic

country like Bangladesh:
Governance means the manner in which power is exercised in management of a country’s
economy and social resources for development and good governance means the effective
management of a country’s social and economic resources in a manner that is open, transparent,
accountable, equitable.
Governance at National Level:

Government
 Media
Source: Hye, A.H(2000) Governance: South Asian Perspective, Dhaka
Private
Sector Civil

According to the World bank major parameters of good governance:

Transparency

Accountability
Participation

Responsiveness Good Governance Concesus

Orientation

Euitable
Rule of Law &
Efficient & Inclusive
Effective

In a democratic country there is no democracy without accountability and transparency because

“Accountability is the obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s
actions.” Transparency is “the quality of being easily seen through”. Transparency discloses all
the information to the public and public know the process and accountability ensures the
activities of public servant so transparency and accountability improves the performance of the
public Administration and ensure good governance.
Transparency itself ensures good governance through its principles. It works against the illegal
practice of power and authority, maladministration, corruption etc. in this regard principles of
transparency can be considered as advocate of legitimacy and accountability in the
administration. Principles of transparency are:
 Transparency means being open, communicative and responsive.
 Transparency is the legal standard.
 Transparency is the precondition for ensuring good governance.
 Transparency improves democracy.
Mainly transparency creates the democratic environment that ensures good governance in a
democratic country.
Accountability ensures actions and decisions taken by public officials are subject to oversight
who is accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken internal or
external to an organization or institution. Accountability is formed answer-ability and
enforcement. Other hand, Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency. so, in order to
ensure good governance, accountability and transparency works side by side.
In a democratic country people's participation is one of the important issues. For the people
participation in administrative system, there need accountability and transparency which are the
main indicators of ensuring good governance in democratic country.

The process of governing is most legitimate when it incorporates democratic principles or

principles of good governance such as transparency, accountability and rule of law etc. Improved
governance requires an integrated, long-term strategy built upon cooperation between
government and citizens. Citizen feel more confident of the govt. when transparency and
accountability are ensured.