This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Caseley, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Multiple accountability relationships and improved service delivery performance in Hyderabad City, Southern India

Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya

This article examines a series of service delivery reforms that were undertaken at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board in Andhra Pradesh State, southern India. Key to sustained improvements in service delivery performance were three effective accountability relationships, triangulating between citizens, senior managers, and frontline workers. In this dynamic, consistent citizen demand for accountability provided new sources of performance information to senior managers, which they could then use to hold frontline workers to account for responsive service provision. Transparent and accessible citizen-based accountability mechanisms have the potential to contribute to organizational change and sustained improvements in service delivery performance in public sector service providers.

Key Words: accountability • India • public sector reform • service delivery performance • South Asia • urban water supply

International Review of Administrative Sciences, Vol. 72, No. 4, 531-546 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0020852306070082


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?