Advancing Accountability in Unsettled Times: Introduction to a Symposium
Abstract
This introduction argues that accountability scholarship must adapt to “unsettled times” marked by democratic backsliding, transnational governance, and rapid technological change. Whereas earlier research largely examined accountability in stable institutional contexts, contemporary challenges require rethinking its normative foundations, behavioral dynamics, and institutional forms. The featured articles address four themes: truthfulness as a democratic meta-standard, emotional responses to accountability, accountability beyond the nation-state, and the implications of artificial intelligence for public oversight. Together, they advance a research agenda that reconceptualizes accountability as both a stabilizing and transformative force in contemporary governance.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Peace and Human Rights Education
Social Science and Policy Research
Global Education and Multiculturalism
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Public Performance & Management Review
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 537–544
- Publication date
- 26 February 2026
- Language
- EN