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TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY WHAT DO WE MEAN? WHAT DO WE DO? HOW TRANSPARENT SHOULD WE BE? FREEDOM OF INFORMATION THE NEW PUBLIC SERVICE DEFAULTS Ethics and Accountability Slide 2 2 BE TRANSPARENT To be transparent is to let people see through us - see what we do, what we intend to do, and why. Transparency builds trust, shows honesty and integrity, exposes corruption But how do we operationalise transparency? To be transparent what must be done? by us and by our departments? in our activities? Slide 3 Ethics and Accountability 3 INFORM, or TELL How well do we tell clients and general public what we are doing and why? Are there annual reports, press releases, newsletters, etc, to target groups including end-users? Are the messages effective? Do people get the message? How do we know? Slide 4 Ethics and Accountability 4 RESPOND Invite questions; give answers People should know where and who to ask Do people know where to seek information? Give them an address, hotline number, a name. People should find what they want to know How readily is information given? How quickly is it given? OR told why they cannot be told! Slide 5 Ethics and Accountability 5 LISTEN Information needs to flow both ways Do we listen to others seek their views and inputs about the quality of service? Do we ask for their priorities for change? Do we use suggestions boxes? Do we conduct surveys? Do we meet with focus groups? Do we get their ideas, and feedback Quality Assurance of service received? Slide 6 Ethics and Accountability 6 CONSULT Do we involve clients and the general public in shaping, deciding and implementing policies? Consultation leads to participation in which citizens co-operate to maintain the transparency of government and other organisations. Slide 7 Ethics and Accountability 7 AN EXAMPLE FROM INDIA The MKSS a controversial movement in Rajasthan Educated citizens demanded access to accounts of local government; gave info to villagers (wall charts) Villagers found payments had been made for clinics, schools and public toilets that had never been built, for workers long dead, and for disaster relief that never arrived DEMANDED MORE INFORMATION Similar actions have worked well elsewhere Slide 8 Ethics and Accountability 8 AND FROM NIGERIA An NGO Zero Corruption Coalition Ran a hotline for the Ministry of Finance People trusted NGO staff more than officials to complain, to report suspected corruption Set up monitoring services in villages Also posting accounts on boards And checking VFM Slide 9 Ethics and Accountability 9 SET INFORMATION FREE? A Freedom of information policy, gives citizens a right to know in the US, Japan, the ADB, etc When introduced in Japan, 2001, as earlier in US it cost much time and money, reduced productivity it changed the way people worked making officials even more risk averse (more meetings, less minutes) But ADB policy causes less difficulty because it excludes access to initial policy proposals, etc Slide 10 Ethics and Accountability 10 A CHANGING WORK CULTURE Getting better transparency and accountability changes the work culture, the defaults of Public Service From telling the public nothing, unless authorised to tell To telling everything, except what is expressly forbidden, and then explaining why they cannot be told! with a loss of power in consequence Slide 11 Ethics and Accountability 11 HOW MUCH TRANSPARENCY? There are many calls for more transparency Should there be limits? If so, what guides us? We need confidentiality, not transparency for police investigations before prosecution and in revealing sources of evidence in court commercial competition, or bidders collude national and global security staff proposals on policies, etc privacy, but why? What else? Slide 12 Ethics and Accountability 12 TRANSPARENCY: the DANGERS Demands for MORE TRANSPARENCY are seen by staff as an indication of mistrust The objective needs to be explained to Build Trust in Government and Public Service With a personal responsibility to ensure our actions allow no reasonable suspicion ALSO remember, beware targets discredited by experience in the USSR (state farms) and the UK (health)! Slide 13 Ethics and Accountability 13 GIVE ACCOUNT To give account means more than just acting responsibly, we must report, tell, or give feedback In English there is one word, accountability If you give me a letter to post, to be responsible, I must post the letter to be accountable, I tell you (or others) I posted it to be more accountable, I tell you (and them) where and when I posted it In French, Korean, Spanish, Thai there is no one-word translation for accountability Slide 14 Ethics and Accountability 14 GIVE ACCOUNT: TO WHOM? I need to give account to the Boss to the public and their elected leaders to clients I serve directly, to the general public to future generations, to God Giving account by an organisation includes: annual reports (for different readers?) project reports / reports to end users tell about the money, audited accounts reports of work intended, policy changes Slide 15 Ethics and Accountability 15 TO IMPROVE ACCOUNTABILITY WE NEED A SEPARATION OF POWERS ACCOUNTABLE TO EACH OTHER In the State between Legislature, Executive and Judiciary (the changing roles of a President?) In Business Outside auditors with no conflict of interest Within the Organisation with different people to place orders, check goods, make payments Slide 16 Ethics and Accountability 16 GIVING ACCOUNT Institution and functions Ministers decide policies Parliament/Legislature check on policies, & Ministers Civil/Public Service serve citizens, enforce regulations implement & draft policies Judiciary, Army, Police... Parties, Companies, Media, CSOs, NGOs, families Giving account to Parliament People, electorate Ministers, Customers and the Public ? Slide 17 Ethics and Accountability 17 ACCOUNTABILITY: the DANGERS Demands for MORE ACCOUNTABILITY require everybody to give account For what do we give account, how? Try the checklist, select ONE target Managers tell staff to write reports (which they may think are never read!) The best staff hate this most! they want more time to do the work, to get results, give good service Slide 18 Ethics and Accountability 18 COSTS AND BENEFITS TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY: What are the costs? Who pays? What are the benefits? Who benefits? The dangers of excess; But the great value of trust The usefulness of random or spot checks The value of outsiders and others with no long-term interests the retired, on non-renewable contracts!