The uncertain relationship between transparency and accountability :

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The uncertain relationship between transparency and accountability
JOURNAL: Development in Practice
VOLUME: 17 ISSUE: 4/5
THEME: Buzzwords and Fuzzwords: Deconstructing Development Discourse

Abstract |

AUTHOR: Jonathan Fox
EDITED BY: Deborah Eade
ISSN: 0961-4524 E-ISSN: 1364-9213
STOCK CODE: 002J1231
AVAILABILITY: Available online only PUBLISHER: Routledge
FORMAT: Downloadable PDF (pp: 8) PUBLISHED: Aug 2007
READERSHIP: Activists and Campaigners, Postgraduate, Undergraduate, Professional and Practitioners,

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ABSTRACT
The concepts of transparency and accountability are closely linked: transparency is supposed to generate accountability. This article questions this widely held assumption. Transparency mobilises the power of shame, yet the shameless may not be vulnerable to public exposure. Truth often fails to lead to justice. After exploring different definitions and dimensions of the two ideas, the more relevant question turns out to be: what kinds of transparency lead to what kinds of accountability, and under what conditions? The article concludes by proposing that the concept can be unpacked in terms of two distinct variants. Transparency can be either 'clear' or 'opaque', while accountability can be either 'soft' or 'hard'.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policies of Oxfam GB

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