Accountability and Control Measures in Public Bureaucracies — a Comparative Analysis of Anglophone and Francophone Africa

One important feature of contemporary societies is the phenomenon of powerful state bureaucracies. This is one of the important consequences of the tremendous expansion in the volume and complexity of governmental work that has taken place in every modern state during the past half-century. This phenomenon which is sometimes referred to as bureaucratic power poses several problems which, for convenience, can be grouped under two heads: those related to bureaucrats’ abuse of office for selfish ends (especially for personal and family enrichment) and those related to conflicts that could emerge in the course of bureaucrats’ dealings with citizens. In regard to the latter problem, attention is usually drawn to the very weak position of the citizen vis-à-vis the powerful state bureaucracy whose activities cover a very large area of the citizen’s life. To deal with these serious problems, every modern state has devised some methods, which are commonly referred to as “accountability” and “control” measures.