Abstract

FOX, Jonathan. Sociedad civil y políticas de rendición de cuentas. Perf. latinoam. [online]. 2006, vol.13, n.27, pp.33-68. ISSN 0188-7653.

Civil society influence on public accountability is widely recognized. Nevertheless, the patterns and causal mechanisms of its impact have not been clearly specified. This article frames some of the explicit conceptual choices that are needed to define accountability, distinguishing between the institutionally bounded concept of "political accountability" on the one hand, and the broader, multi-dimensional notion of "accountability politics" on the other. With the goal of identifying the patterns of civil society influence on the state, the article unpacks accountability relations between and within state and civil society actors, to avoid treating them as though they were implicitly homogeneous and isolated from each other. It is also necessary to broaden our conceptual frameworks for understanding accountability by taking into account the interaction between local, national and international arenas. The analysis takes into account the distinction between the vertical and horizontal dimensions of accountability, stressing the inter-dependence and inter-action between them.

Keywords : accountability; civil society; intra-state agencies; social movements; NGOs.

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