Accountability and Performance Management

The IOG's work in this area, both in Canada and internationally, follows our belief that accountability lies at the heart of governance.

In government, citizens grant sweeping powers to the political executive. They entrust it with the responsibility to make critical decisions about the design and implementation of public policy and use of public funds. In turn, citizens want to prevent abuse by the executive of these powers. They also want to ensure that the executive uses its power wisely, effectively and fairly, and that it will be responsive to demands by citizens to change the ways in which it carries out its functions.

Similarly, outside government, “principals” (e.g. the members of a non-governmental organization) grant powers to a governing body to act on their behalf, but also expect that the governing body will be responsive to the needs of members and accountable for the decisions that they take.

The Institute On Governance focuses on the nature and effectiveness of accountability relationships:

• between citizens and their elected representatives on the one hand, and public administrators (the "executive branch") on the other;
• across levels of government – federal, provincial and territorial, municipal, Aboriginal and international;
• between members and other stakeholders and the governing bodies of non-governmental organizations; and
• between government and civil society.

We also have expertise in the art and science of performance management, a technique that helps make accountability possible. Performance management sets targets and indicators (both quantitative and qualitative) for the defined objectives of a government or organization; gathers information to monitor progress; adjusts plans and actions in response to the results and changes in circumstances; and periodically evaluates what the longer term impacts are, whether there are any unintended consequences, and whether the objectives are still relevant. How performance is defined and measured; what progress is being achieved; what corrective action is being taken; and what the longer term results are – these are all questions that should be addressed through processes that are open, transparent and well thought through.

Our services related to accountability and performance management include research, workshop design and facilitation, professional development and advisory services. We have worked with a number of federal departments, provincial governments, municipalities, non-profit organizations and international agencies such as the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program.

To find out more about the IOG's work in this area, and how we can help you, please contact us.