Like honesty and clean water, ""accountability"" is invariably seen as a good thing. Conversely, the absence of accountability is associated with most of the greatest abuses in human history. Accountability is thus closely linked with the exercise of power and the legitimacy of policies and those pursuing them. This book looks at the role of evaluation and of audit as key elements in democratic accountability processes. The contributors explore the apparent paradox of there being more accountability-related activities today than ever before, at the same time as much public debate laments what...

The literature on policy strategies, instruments, and styles is impressive. Still, a complex variety of theoretical and conceptual approaches and analytical tools hamper a good overview. Carrots, Sticks, and Sermons proposes such a framework for the field and clearly shows how public policy instruments are classified, packaged, and chosen, while highlighting the role evaluation plays in the instruments-choice process.

Carrots, Sticks, and Sermons offers a comprehensive analysis of categories and typologies of policy instruments. It classifies sticks, carrots, and...

Like honesty and clean water, -accountability- is invariably seen as a good thing and the absence of accountability is associated with most of the greatest abuses in human history. Accountability is thus closely linked with the exercise of power, the legitimacy of policies, and those pursuing both.

This volume explores the paradox that exists today: there are more accountability-related activities now than ever before, yet the public laments what is perceived as a lack of actual accountability. This raises a number of questions: Is there a need for different approaches to...