Accountability payoffs in federal systems? Competing logics and evidence from Europe's newest federation

Publius: The Journal of Federalism

Volumn 29, Issue 1, 1999, Pages 87-110

  Downs, William M ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0040439313     PISSN: 00485950     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.pubjof.a030015     Document Type: Article

References (80)

1. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, On the Social Contract, ed. Roger D. Masters (New York: St. Martins, 1978), p. 103.
2. Bruce A. Ackerman, "Neo-federalism?" ed., Jon Elster and Rune Slagtad, Constitutionalism and Democracy (Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1988), p. 171.
3. Peter Aucoin, "Administrative Reform in Public Management: Paradigms, Principles, Paradoxes and Pendulums," Governance 3 (April 1990): 110.
4. Johan P. Olsen, "Modernization Programs in Perspective: Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change," Governance 4 (April 1991): 125.
5. For the first time since the beginning of the Eurobarometer surveys of European public opinion in 1973, in Autumn 1992 the average level of "satisfaction with the way democracy works in one's country" fell below the level of dissatisfaction (45 percent vs. 52 percent). Subsequent Eurobarometer polls show opinions remain almost evenly divided on this fundamental issue.
6. See, for example, Ian Harden, "Regulating Government," Political Quarterly 66 (October-December 1995): 299-306; Johan P. Olsen, "Modernization Programs in Perspective: Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change," Governance 4 (April 1991): 125-149; B. Guy Peters, "Government Reorganization: A Theoretical Analysis," International Political Sciene Review 13 (April 1992): 199-217; Brian C. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985); Stuart Weir, "Quangos: Questions of Democratic Accountability," Parliamentary Affairs 48 (April 1995): 306-322; Vincent Wright, "Reshaping the State: The Implications for Public Administration," West European Politics 17 (July 1994): 102-137.
7. See, for example, Ian Harden, "Regulating Government," Political Quarterly 66 (October-December 1995): 299-306; Johan P. Olsen, "Modernization Programs in Perspective: Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change," Governance 4 (April 1991): 125-149; B. Guy Peters, "Government Reorganization: A Theoretical Analysis," International Political Sciene Review 13 (April 1992): 199-217; Brian C. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985); Stuart Weir, "Quangos: Questions of Democratic Accountability," Parliamentary Affairs 48 (April 1995): 306-322; Vincent Wright, "Reshaping the State: The Implications for Public Administration," West European Politics 17 (July 1994): 102-137.
8. See, for example, Ian Harden, "Regulating Government," Political Quarterly 66 (October-December 1995): 299-306; Johan P. Olsen, "Modernization Programs in Perspective: Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change," Governance 4 (April 1991): 125-149; B. Guy Peters, "Government Reorganization: A Theoretical Analysis," International Political Sciene Review 13 (April 1992): 199-217; Brian C. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985); Stuart Weir, "Quangos: Questions of Democratic Accountability," Parliamentary Affairs 48 (April 1995): 306-322; Vincent Wright, "Reshaping the State: The Implications for Public Administration," West European Politics 17 (July 1994): 102-137.
9. See, for example, Ian Harden, "Regulating Government," Political Quarterly 66 (October-December 1995): 299-306; Johan P. Olsen, "Modernization Programs in Perspective: Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change," Governance 4 (April 1991): 125-149; B. Guy Peters, "Government Reorganization: A Theoretical Analysis," International Political Sciene Review 13 (April 1992): 199-217; Brian C. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985); Stuart Weir, "Quangos: Questions of Democratic Accountability," Parliamentary Affairs 48 (April 1995): 306-322; Vincent Wright, "Reshaping the State: The Implications for Public Administration," West European Politics 17 (July 1994): 102-137.
10. See, for example, Ian Harden, "Regulating Government," Political Quarterly 66 (October-December 1995): 299-306; Johan P. Olsen, "Modernization Programs in Perspective: Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change," Governance 4 (April 1991): 125-149; B. Guy Peters, "Government Reorganization: A Theoretical Analysis," International Political Sciene Review 13 (April 1992): 199-217; Brian C. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985); Stuart Weir, "Quangos: Questions of Democratic Accountability," Parliamentary Affairs 48 (April 1995): 306-322; Vincent Wright, "Reshaping the State: The Implications for Public Administration," West European Politics 17 (July 1994): 102-137.
11. See, for example, Ian Harden, "Regulating Government," Political Quarterly 66 (October-December 1995): 299-306; Johan P. Olsen, "Modernization Programs in Perspective: Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change," Governance 4 (April 1991): 125-149; B. Guy Peters, "Government Reorganization: A Theoretical Analysis," International Political Sciene Review 13 (April 1992): 199-217; Brian C. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985); Stuart Weir, "Quangos: Questions of Democratic Accountability," Parliamentary Affairs 48 (April 1995): 306-322; Vincent Wright, "Reshaping the State: The Implications for Public Administration," West European Politics 17 (July 1994): 102-137.
12. L. J. Sharpe, The Rise of Meso Government in Europe (London: Sage, 1993).
13. Yves Mény, Government and Politics in Western Europe (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993), p. 9.
14. Harden, "Regulating Government," 299.
15. Philip Blair, "Trends in Local Autonomy and Democracy: Reflection from a European Perspective," Local Government in Europe: Trends and Developments, eds. Richard Batley and Gerry Stoker (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1991), p. 46.
16. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers, ed. Isaak Kramnick (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1987), p. 320.
17. James G. March and Johan P. Olsen, Democratic Governance (New York: Free Press, 1995), p. 76.
18. One indicator of the attention increasingly accorded accountability comes from a review of article titles in Publius: The Journal of Federalism. For the period 1971-1990, only one of the journal's articles contained a direct references to accountability in its title. By contrast, four articles in the period 1991-1998 refer explicitly to the concept in their respective titles.
19. John Kincaid, "Values and Value Tradeoffs in Federalism," Publius: The Journal of Federalism 25 (Spring 1995): 29-44.
20. William M. Downs, Coalition Government, Subnational Style: The Politics of Coalition in Europe's Regional Parliaments (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1998).
21. Ian Thynne and John Goldring, Accountability and Control: Government Officials and the Exercise of Power (Sydney: Law Book Co., 1987), p. 8.
22. Patricia Day Rudolph Klein, Accountabilities (London: Tavistock, 1987), p. 2.
23. March and Olsen, Democratic Governance, p. 59.
24. Amanda Sinclair, "The Chameleon of Accountability: Forms and Discourses," Accounting, Organizations and Society 20 (February-April 1995): 219.
25. Michael O'Loughlin, "What is Bureaucratic Accountability and How Can We Measure It?" Administration and Society 22 (November 1990): 275.
26. See Kaare Strøm "Democracy, Accountability, and Coalition Bargaining" (paper delivered at the Stein Rokkan Lecture at the Joint Sessions of Workshops of the European Consortium for Political Research, Oslo, Norway, 1 April 1996).
27. Ibid.
28. Michael Burgess and Alain-G. Gagnon, eds., Comparative Federalism and Federation: Competing Traditions and Future Directions (London: Harvester Wheatdsheaf, 1993).
29. On the primacy of constitutionality, see for example, Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright, "Federalizing Europe: The Path to Adjustment," Federalizing Europe? The Costs, Benefits, and Preconditions of Federal Political Systems, eds. Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996). Hesse and Wright note its "decisive impact on the political process," Federalizing Europe? See also, Joanne B. Brzinski, Thomas D. Lancaster, and Christian Tuschhoff, "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe" (paper presented at the first worshop of the Federalism and Compounded Representation Project, Atlanta, GA, 3-6 August 1996). Brzinski et al., "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe," suggest that one of the defining characteristics of federalism is that "it is the constitutionality that matters rather than a particular (vertical) division of power," 6.
30. On the primacy of constitutionality, see for example, Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright, "Federalizing Europe: The Path to Adjustment," Federalizing Europe? The Costs, Benefits, and Preconditions of Federal Political Systems, eds. Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996). Hesse and Wright note its "decisive impact on the political process," Federalizing Europe? See also, Joanne B. Brzinski, Thomas D. Lancaster, and Christian Tuschhoff, "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe" (paper presented at the first worshop of the Federalism and Compounded Representation Project, Atlanta, GA, 3-6 August 1996). Brzinski et al., "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe," suggest that one of the defining characteristics of federalism is that "it is the constitutionality that matters rather than a particular (vertical) division of power," 6.
31. On the primacy of constitutionality, see for example, Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright, "Federalizing Europe: The Path to Adjustment," Federalizing Europe? The Costs, Benefits, and Preconditions of Federal Political Systems, eds. Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996). Hesse and Wright note its "decisive impact on the political process," Federalizing Europe? See also, Joanne B. Brzinski, Thomas D. Lancaster, and Christian Tuschhoff, "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe" (paper presented at the first worshop of the Federalism and Compounded Representation Project, Atlanta, GA, 3-6 August 1996). Brzinski et al., "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe," suggest that one of the defining characteristics of federalism is that "it is the constitutionality that matters rather than a particular (vertical) division of power," 6.
32. On the primacy of constitutionality, see for example, Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright, "Federalizing Europe: The Path to Adjustment," Federalizing Europe? The Costs, Benefits, and Preconditions of Federal Political Systems, eds. Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996). Hesse and Wright note its "decisive impact on the political process," Federalizing Europe? See also, Joanne B. Brzinski, Thomas D. Lancaster, and Christian Tuschhoff, "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe" (paper presented at the first worshop of the Federalism and Compounded Representation Project, Atlanta, GA, 3-6 August 1996). Brzinski et al., "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe," suggest that one of the defining characteristics of federalism is that "it is the constitutionality that matters rather than a particular (vertical) division of power," 6.
33. Federalist 6, p. 104.
34. Federalist 10, p. 128.
35. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State, p. 26.
36. See, for example, Robert A. Dahl and Edward R. Tufte, Size and Democracy (London: Oxford University Press, 1974); John Stuart Mill, Representative Government (Chicago: Regnery, 1962).
37. See, for example, Robert A. Dahl and Edward R. Tufte, Size and Democracy (London: Oxford University Press, 1974); John Stuart Mill, Representative Government (Chicago: Regnery, 1962).
38. Kenneth Newton, "Is Small Really So Beautiful? Is Big Really So Ugly? Size, Effectiveness, and Democracy in Local Government," Political Studies 30 (June 1982): 190.
39. Charles M. Tiebout, "A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures," Journal of Political Economy 64 (October 1956): 416-435.
40. Newton, "Is Small Really So Beautiful? Is Big Really So Ugly?" 202.
41. This assumption does not always play out in the real world. Witness, for example, repeated survey findings showing national senators in pre-federal Belgium choosing to seek office in the new regional assemblies upon the country's transition to federalism rather than seek reelection and membership in a new Federal Senate. Moreover, while American and German politicians tend to use state office as a stepping-stone to national office, in Canada there is little evidence of similar movement from provincial to national office.
42. March and Olsen, Democratic Governance, p. 97.
43. John E. Chubb, "The Political Economy of Federalism," American Political Science Review 79 (December 1985): 1005-1006.
44. Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr., "Theoretical Developments in Public Administration: Implications for the Study of Federalism," Governance 3 (October 1990): 405.
45. David R. Beam, Timothy J. Conlan, and David B. Walker, "Federalism: The Challenge of Conflicting Theories and Contemporary Practice," Political Science: The State of the Discipline, ed. Ada W. Finifter (Washington, D.C.: American Political Science Association, 1983).
46. Gordon R. Brown, "Canadian Federal-Provincial Overlap and Presumed Government Inefficiency," Publius: The Journal of Federalism 24 (Winter 1994): 21-37.
47. Jean-Luc Migué, "Public choice in a federal system," Public Choice 90 (March 1997): 235-254.
48. Beryle A. Radin and Barbara S. Romzek, "Accountability Expectations in an Intergovernmental Arena: The National Rural Development Partnership," Publius: The Journal of Federalism 26 (Spring 1996): 59.
49. March and Olsen, Democratic Governance, pp. 59-60.
50. Joel D. Aberbach and Bert A. Rockman, "Does Governance Matter - And If So, How? Process, Performance, and Outcomes," Governance 5 (April 1992): 141.
51. O'Toole, "Theoretical Developments in Public Administration," 401.
52. G. Bingham Powell, Jr., "Voting Turnout in Thirty Democracies," Electoral Participation, ed. Richard Rose (Beverly Hills: Sage, 1980).
53. Robert W. Jackman and Ross A. Miller, "Voter Turnout in the Industrial Democracies During the 1980s," Comparative Political Studies 27 (January 1995): 470.
54. Mark N. Franklin and Wolfgang P. Hirezy de Miño, "Separated Powers, Divided Government, and Turnout in U.S. Presidential Elections," American Journal of Political Science 42 (January 1998): 318.
55. Robert L. Morlan, "Municipal vs. National Election Voter Turnout: Europe and the United States," Political Science Quarterly 99 (Autumn 1984): 464.
56. Robert L. Lineberry, George C. Edwards, III, and Martin P. Wattenberg, Government in America, 5th ed. (New York: Harper Collins, 1991).
57. See, for example, Richard W. Boyd, "Election calendars and voter turnout," American Politics Quarterly 14 (January-April 1986): 89-104; Richard W. Boyd, "The effects of primaries and statewide races on voter turnout," Journal of Politics 51 (August 1989): 730-739.
58. See, for example, Richard W. Boyd, "Election calendars and voter turnout," American Politics Quarterly 14 (January-April 1986): 89-104; Richard W. Boyd, "The effects of primaries and statewide races on voter turnout," Journal of Politics 51 (August 1989): 730-739.
59. Downs, Coalition Government, Subnational Style, pp. 147-186.
60. Alan Norton, "Western European Local Government in Comparative Perspective," Local Government in Europe, eds. Batley and Stoker (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1991), p. 28.
61. Harnold J. Laski, A Grammar of Politics (London: Allen & Unwin, 1949), p. 411.
62. Jon Lauglo, "Forms of Decentralisation and Their Implications for Education," Comparative Education 31 (March 1995): 22.
63. David Berman, "Takeovers of Local Government: An Overview and Evaluation of State Policies," Publius: The Journal of Federalism 25 (Summer 1995): 55-70.
64. A.E. Dick Howard, "Does Federalism Secure or Undermine Rights?" Federalism and Rights, eds. Ellis Katz and G. Alan Tarr (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1996), p. 19
65. Ivo D. Duchacek, Comparative Federalism: The Territorial Dimension of Politics (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970).
66. Daniel J. Elazar, Exploring Federalism (Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1987), p. 192.
67. Duchacek, Comparative Federalism, p. 343.
68. Brzinski et al., "Federalism and Compounded Representation in Western Europe," 5.
69. See Ronald L. Watts, "West German Federalism: Comparative Perspectives," German Federalism Today, eds. Charlie Jeffery and Peter Savigear (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991), p. 28.
70. Smith, Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State, p. 27.
71. Fritz Scharpf, "The Joint Decision Trap: Lessons from German Federalism and European Intergration," Public Administration 66 (Autumn 1988): 239-278.
72. Peter C. Ordeshook and Olga Shvetsova, "Federalism and Constitutional Design," Journal of Democracy 8 (January 1997): 29.
73. On the importance of levels of analysis, see Mark Sproule-Jones, Governments at Work: Canadian Parliamentary Federalism and Its Public Effects (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993).
74. Reinhard Rack, "Austria: Has the Federation Become Obsolete?" Federalizing Europe? eds. Joachim Jens Hesse and Vincent Wright (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 205.
75. Jørgen Grønnegaard Christensen, "Reshaping the Welfare State: The Dynamics of Decentralization and Recentralization" (paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, CA, (29 August-1 September 1996), 5.
76. Responses to a survery administered to members of the Belgian Senate by the author in 1997 found approximately three-fourths of all respondents (N = 52) would prefer a future seat in their respective regional assembly over returning to the Senate. The overwhelming majority of these (87 percent) cited the Senate's weakened role under federation.
77. William M. Downs, "Federalism Achieved: The Belgian Elections of 1995," West European Politics 19 (January 1996): 168-175.
78. See, for example, Le Soir, 15 May 1995.
79. Michael P. Zuckert, "The Virtuous Polity, The Accountable Polity: Liberty and Responsibility in The Federalist," Publius: The Journal of Federalism 22 (Winter 1992): 132.
80. Rudolpf Hrbek, "Exploring Federalism: Europe and the Federal Experience. Reflections at the Beginning of the Nineties," Federal-Type Solutions and European Integration, ed. C. Lloyd Brown-John (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1995), p. 559.