Contesting public accountability: A dialogical exploration of accountability and social housing

Smyth, Stewart

doi:10.1016/j.cpa.2011.12.007

Cited by 56 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Accountability is mobilized to justify public services reforms (Broadbent, Dietrich, and Laughlin 1996;Dubnick 2002); yet, it is notoriously difficult to define, with synonyms (e.g. transparency and answerability 3 ) regularly used in its place (Ferry, Eckersley, and Zakaria 2015;Smyth 2012). 'Accountability has become an icon of good governance' (Bovens 2005, 184) but is also a garbage can, containing ill-defined concepts and good intentions (Bovens 2005).…”

Section: Public Accountabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…'Accountability has become an icon of good governance' (Bovens 2005, 184) but is also a garbage can, containing ill-defined concepts and good intentions (Bovens 2005). This section starts by defining and contextualizing accountability in the public services, before exploring the restructuring/resistance dynamic as conceptualised in Critical Public Accountability (Smyth 2012).…”

Section: Public Accountabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Building on the above, this paper utilizes the concept of Critical Public Accountability (Smyth 2012) to frame the case study below. Critical Public Accountability seeks to conceptualise the impact of neo-liberal restructuring processes and the resistance they generate from civil society.…”

Section: Public Accountabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this process, the public accountability relations are reformed from democratic accountability with local government to accountability relations based on a non-governmental service organization (NGSO) (Ebrahim 2003) which has more in common with private sector governance and accountability approaches (Collier 2005;McDermont, Cowan, and Prendergrast 2009). Significantly, this process has also generated resistance in the form of civil society campaigns that contest the changing nature of public accountability (Smyth 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The remainder of this paper is structured as follows; the next section discusses the nature of public accountability starting from a basic definition of accountability that is then contextualised in democratic societies, before exploring the relevant elements of Critical Public Accountability (Smyth 2012(Smyth , 2013a to understand the restructuring/resistance dynamic evident in the competing conceptions of an accountable landlord. This is followed in the section 'Housing stock transfers and NGSO' by an analysis of the stock transfer policy in Wales and how the use of a CHM attempts to develop new governance/accountability structures, while attracting private capital investment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public accountability: reforms and resistance in social housing

Smyth

2016

Public Management Review

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The paper illustrates and discusses the changing nature of public accountability relations in public services that are transferred to a mutual organization. The paper contributes to the literature that studies resistance to the neo-liberal restructuring process, highlighting civil society campaigns as important actors. A social housing case study in Britain is developed, combining a critical realist and dialogical influenced analysis. The case study identifies the role of private finance, illustrating tensions between democratic-styled and NGO-styled public accountability relations. A conclusion that housing mutuals are in danger of being apologia for private capitalism is established.

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