Mechanisms of Public Services' Accountability

Public officials are seen as the peoples' representatives or trustees and answerable before the public by explaining, justifying and rectifying their actions. Accountability can be carried out effectively through the institutions which are constitutionally protected, structurally independent , functionally autonomous and behaviourally impartial. Whereas accountability mechanisms refer to the institutionalized processes of holding the public authorities to account that traditional mechanisms of accountability include the elections, legislative scrutiny, courts and government audit. Institution of the ombudsman is a newer and specialized mechanism for holding the public services accountable. Elections and legislative scrutiny mechanisms of accountability do not make the public officials directly accountable. Process of seeking redress and holding public officials to account through courts is costly laborious and time consuming due to which need for the simple, accessible and cheaper avenue of public redress becomes inevitable. Institution of the ombudsman may not possess the entire components of the effective accountability.