Political Science 2237E Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Cabinet Collective Responsibility, Individual Ministerial Responsibility, Responsible Government
23 Jan 2017
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Accountability & democracy: central to any democracy is the ability of the people to hold their elected officials accountable for their actions. If you do not believe your representatives have been doing a good job, you can throw the rascals out . It is, after all, power that the citizens are vesting in their elected officials and if that power us abused, the people have the right to take it back and give it to someone else: responsible government; That responsibility is meant to democratize government by giving more power to the people. Some people regard this as problematic because these individuals may be able to challenge their political masters in setting public policy. However, most cabinet ministers are not experts in the filed over which they are given responsibility long-serving public servants can all become major actors in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policy. Ministers are increasingly seeking advice from outside consultants.
