The Politics of Accountability in the Modern State

This text explores to what degree alternative forms of accountability have evolved to remedy the shortcomings commonly identified with ministerial responsibility to Parliament. It examines the accountability of the core executive and adopts a pluralistic perspective in order to question the continuing centrality of ministerial responsibility to Parliament as the linchpin of the British constitution. The book concludes that alternative forms of accountability have not evolved to the point where they remedy the deficiencies associated with ministerial responsibility. Conversely, it is argued that, to some degree, these new mechanisms have undermined and complicated parliamentary accountability.