Accountability Keywords

Accountability terms often have different meanings, to different actors, in different contexts – and in different languages. This project addresses “what counts” as accountability, analyzing the meanings and usage of keywords – sharing insights from practitioners and researchers from around the world.

The Accountability Keywords Project

This project includes over 40 posts reflecting on the meanings and usage of relevant keywords in their own contexts and languages. The authors in the keyword series come from countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and they have blogged in Arabic, English, Portuguese and Spanish.

These blogs are accompanied by a longer think piece by ARC Director Jonathan Fox

ARC welcomes proposals for new keywords posts. To suggest a possible post, please email arc@american.edu.

Search Posts

Author: Gilbert Sendugwa, Geoffrey Odong, and Sight Ampamya
Date: 22 July 2024
Country: Uganda
Language: English
Author: Abjijit Das
Date: 12 March 2024
Country: India
Language: English
Author: Joy Aceron
Date: 12 March 2024
Country: The Philippines
Language: English
Author: Adrian Gurza Lavalle
Date: 13 outubro 2023
Country: Brasil
Language: Português
Author: Adrian Gurza Lavalle
Date: 13 octubre 2023
Country: Brasil
Language: Español
Author: Adrian Gurza Lavalle
Date: 13 October 2023
Country: Brazil
Language: English
Author: Angela Crack and Michael Chasukwa
Date: 12 May 2023
Country: Malawi
Language: English
Author: Héctor Manuel Gutiérrez Magaña and Mariana Cepeda Villarreal
Date: 4 de agosto, 2022
Country: Colombia Ecuador
Language: Español
Author: Héctor Manuel Gutiérrez Magaña and Mariana Cepeda Villarreal
Date: 4 August 2022
Country: Colombia Ecuador
Language: English
Author: Carlos G. Guerrero Orozco
Date: June 14, 2022
Country: Mexico
Language: English
Author: Carlos G. Guerrero Orozco
Date: 14 de junio, 2022
Country: Mexico
Language: Español
Author: Joy Aceron
Date: November 24, 2021
Country: The Philippines
Language: English
Author: Ernesto Isunza-Vera
Date: 5 de noviembre, 2021
Country: Mexico
Language: Español
Author: Ernesto Isunza-Vera
Date: November 5, 2021
Country: Mexico
Language: English
Author: Iván Benumea and Mariana Gurrola
Date: October 5, 2021
Country: Mexico
Language: English
Author: Iván Benumea y Mariana Gurrola
Date: 5 de octubre 2021
Country: Mexico
Language: Español
Author: Benilda Batzin
Date: 24 de agosto 2021
Country: Guatemala
Language: Español
Author: Benilda Batzin
Date: August 24, 2021
Country: Guatemala
Language: English
Author: Chieftainess Msoro VII Moses Ngulube
Date: August 12, 2021
Country: Zambia
Language: English
Author: Gutu Olana Wayessa
Date: August 11, 2021
Country: Ethiopia
Language: English
Author: Judy Gearhart
Date: July 15, 2021
Country: Multi-country
Language: English
Author: Nani Zulminarni
Date: July 14, 2021
Country: Indonesia
Language: English
Author: Anuradha Joshi
Date: July 13, 2021
Country: Multi-country
Language: English
Author: Fayyaz Yaseen
Date: June 30, 2021
Country: Pakistan
Language: English
Author: Suchi Pande
Date: June 29, 2021
Country: India
Language: English
Author: Joy Aceron and Francis Isaac
Date: June 25, 2021
Country: The Philippines
Language: English
Author: Tiago Carneiro Peixoto
Date: June 25, 2021
Country: Multi-country
Language: English
Author: Ariel Frisancho, with the collaboration of Luz Estrada
Date: June 23, 2021
Country: Peru
Language: English
Author: Ariel Frisancho, con la colaboración de Luz Estrada
Date: 23 de junio de 2021
Country: Peru
Language: Español
Author: Walter Flores
Date: June 22, 2021
Country: Multi-country
Language: English
Author: Abdulkarim Mohammed
Date: June 16, 2021
Country: Ghana
Language: English
Author: Benilda Batzin
Date: 15 de junio de 2021
Country: Guatemala
Language: Español
Author: Benilda Batzin
Date: June 15, 2021
Country: Guatemala
Language: English
Author: Francis Isaac
Date: June 15, 2021
Country: The Philippines
Language: English
Author: Felipe J. Hevia
Date: May 25, 2021
Country: Mexico
Language: English
Author: Felipe J. Hevia
Date: 25 de mayo de 2021
Country: Mexico
Language: Español
Author: Brendan Halloran
Date: March 29, 2021
Country: Multi-country
Language: English
Author: Charles H. Roberts
Date: 1 de marzo de 2021
Country: Colombia
Language: Español
Author: Charles H. Roberts
Date: March 1, 2021
Country: Colombia
Language: English
Author: Marcio Cunha Filho
Date: February 24, 2021
Country: Brazil
Language: English
Author: Marcio Cunha Filho
Date: 23 de fevereiro de 2021
Country: Brasil
Language: Português
Author: Amy Ekdawi
Date: February 23, 2021
Country: Lebanon
Language: Arabic
Author: Amy Ekdawi
Date: February 23, 2021
Country: Lebanon
Language: English
Author: Haytham Karar
Date: February 3, 2021
Country: Sudan
Language: English
Author: Francis Isaac and Joy Aceron
Date: February 1, 2021
Country: The Philippines
Language: English
Author: Dr. Nitin Jadhav
Date: January 27, 2021
Country: India
Language: English
Author: Yifei Li
Date: December 2, 2020
Country: China
Language: English
Author: Odeh Friday
Date: December 2, 2020
Country: Nigeria
Language: English
Author: Matthew Stephenson
Date: December 2, 2020
Country: Multi-country
Language: English
Author: Rajika Seth
Date: December 2, 2020
Country: India
Language: English

Accountability Keywords

Date: January 2022
Author: Jonathan Fox
Published by: Accountability Research Center

This working paper unpacks diverse understandings of accountability ideas, using the ‘keywords’ approach. This tradition takes everyday big ideas whose meanings are often taken for granted and makes their subtexts explicit. The proposition here is that ambiguous or contested language can either constrain or enable possible strategies for promoting accountability. After all, different potential coalition partners may use the same term with different meanings—or may use different terms to communicate the same idea. Indeed, the concept’s fundamental ambiguity is a major reason why it can be difficult to communicate ideas about accountability across disciplines, cultures, and languages. The goal here is to inform efforts to find common ground between diverse potential constituencies for accountable governance.