Accountability

Accountability is the obligation to explain conduct, disclose relevant information, and answer for its consequences. It connects decision-making authority with scrutiny and possible remedies or sanctions.

Answerability: The duty to explain and justify decisions or actions to an authorized audience. It is the explanatory part of accountability, distinct from facing consequences.
Responsibility: The condition of having a duty to perform or oversee an action. Accountability commonly follows from assigned duties, but also requires explaining performance.
Corporate governance: The system of rules and practices by which a company is directed and controlled. Boards and executives answer to shareholders and other stakeholders through governance structures.
Liability: Legal responsibility for an obligation, loss, or harm, often carrying a duty to pay or remedy it. Liability can impose consequences without requiring the broader process of explanation.
Deterrence: The prevention of conduct through the expectation of adverse consequences. Credible accountability can discourage misconduct before harm occurs.
Audit: A systematic examination of records, controls, or performance against defined criteria. Audits test whether reported conduct and results meet stated standards.
Delegation: The assignment of authority or tasks from one person or body to another. Delegating work does not always remove the delegator's duty to answer for it.
Public administration: The organization and implementation of government policies and public services. Public officials must account for decisions made with public authority and resources.
Blame: A judgment that someone is at fault for a harmful action or outcome. Accountability can require answers even when fault has not been established.
Organizational learning: The process by which an organization changes practices based on experience and evidence. Reviewing failures can produce reforms rather than stopping at individual punishment.

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