August 2007 | Edited by Anwar Shah
Performance-based accountability is appealing because of its potential to improve government service delivery performance and to ensure the integrity of public operations. But implementation of such an accountability system represents a major challenge for any public sector organization; most such reforms fail as a result of difficulties in design and implementation. This volume provides advice on how to institutionalize performance-based accountability, especially in countries that lack good accountability systems.
The volume describes how institutions of accountability may be strengthened to combat corruption. The volume is organized into two parts. The first part deals with public management reforms to ensure the integrity and improve the efficiency of government operations. It outlines an agenda for public management reforms and discusses the roles of e-government and network solutions in performance improvements.
The second part of the volume provides advice on strengthening the role of representative institutions, such as organs and committees of parliament, in providing oversight of government programs. It also provides guidance on how auditing and related institutions can be used to detect fraud and corruption. The book highlights the causes of corruption and the use of both internal and external accountability institutions and mechanisms to fight it. It provides advice on how to tailor anti-corruption programs to individual country circumstances and how to sequence reform efforts to ensure sustainability.