Accountability in Public Offices
In the 1940s two political theorists Carl J. Friedrich1 and Herman Finer2 debated a critical question of accountability in US public administrationhow much should one rely on formal prescriptions and control mechanisms and how much must one depend on what we have called the inner compasses of persons entrusted with public responsibilities? In other words how much can we rely on the laws to keep administrators in check and how much can we rely on the moral consciences of our administrators?
Tasks
Deliverable
Submit your answers in a double-spaced 4- to 6-page Microsoft Word document not counting the cover and reference pages.
Cite sources using the APA format on a separate page.
1Friedrich C. J. (1940). Public policy and the nature of administrative responsibility. In C. J. Friedrich & E. S. Mason (Eds.) Public policy (pp. 324). Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
2Finer H. (1941). Administrative responsibility in democratic government. Public Administration Review 1(summer 1941) 335350.