The impact of accountability deficit on agency performance: performance-accountability regime

Accountability mechanisms have been widely applied to public agencies to achieve intended goals since ‘new public management’ paradigm. However, our understanding of the relationship between institutional accountability and agency performance is limited by a lack of empirical research. This study examines deficits of three accountability mechanisms applied to policy implementation process – 1) information provision, 2) assessment, and 3) consequence, representing bureaucratic control in performance-accountability regime of the Bush Administration. Results inform that there were relative success and failure of three accountability mechanisms for federal agency while they positively influenced agency performance. This study contributes to the development of institutional accountability theory.