CONCEPTUAL ISSUES OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABILITY: RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT UNITS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME240410044AKeywords:
public officials, disciplinary liability, integrity, local self-government, public interestAbstract
Public integrity, transparency and accountability have been identified as part of the founding principles of the public sector which should be enacted in legislation and applied consistently in practice. Effective implementation of the accountability principle shall underpin integrity of public service and its legal, professional and transparent operation.
The purpose of the paper is to analyze conceptual issues of public officials' accountability, focusing on disciplinary responsibility and application in practice. The paper also presents the results of the research conducted in 30 local self government units in the Republic of Serbia. The results point out the (non)efficient implementation of legal and ethical rules and values concerning disciplinary procedures, sanctions, performance appraisal system in the context of possible improvements and capacity building. In order to enhance public integrity, appropriate legislative and institutional frameworks must be in place to enable public-sector organizations to take responsibility for effectively managing the integrity of their activities, as well as that of the public officials who carry out those activities.
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