The Analysis On Power, Responsibility And Accountability Relations In Administration

Power and responsibility/accountability are the core concepts in Administration. Public power is also the basic concept in Public Administration which requires accountability for the execution of public power, which makes the core value criterion. In the practice of public administration, it also abides that power is authorized to have the responsibility/accountability and be supervised, the infringement of rights needs to be compensated, and illegalities should be investigated. However, in the practice of public administration, though there are strict legal rules to ensure that the power and responsibility/ accountability can be consistent, there are still many states of deviation between power and responsibility/accountability. With the development of time, it becomes more and more difficult to achieve the ideal state that brings power to come into line with responsibility and accountability. To explore these reasons, this thesis intends to begin with power, responsibility and accountability, and study from the chronicle view about the realization of the three parts in line and the reason of deviation. Based on this, the thesis tends to forecast the changing characteristics and the developing trends in the new era.The corresponding relations between power and responsibility/accountability established the historical premise about the power and responsibility/accountability in line. Therefore, the analysis on the relations between power and responsibility/accountability is also the basic premise of this thesis. There're three aspects about the condition: fist, the separation between the public sphere and the private sphere provides the spatial premise, and establishes that public power can only be performed in this certain area and can't violate the private sphere; second, the definition between public power and citizen's rights is the historical premise, and that makes the source, attribution and performance of the public power. The value of power is to protect the citizen's rights and be responsible to it; third, the breaking out of the centralization is the power premise and only in the case of separation of powers can avoid the despotic power. Only through the mutual restriction can power be responsible to citizen's rights. From these premises we can draw the conclusion that only in democracy can the power and responsibility/accountability be established the association. Democracy is the basis of power and responsibility/accountability in line. Under democracy, safeguarding and realizing the public interest is the Government's primary responsibility, and power is the most important basic tool to undertake this responsibility. Thus the government responsibility is prior to the power, and the power originates from the transformation and awarding of the citizen's rights. The transformation and awarding of the public power aim at the basic responsibility that the government should bear. Responsibility refers to the requirements and description in the performing of public power. Apart from the responsibilities, the exercise of the power may also violate the public interest and the rights of citizens, therefore, there must be penalties if the power is abused, and in these circumstances, we call it accountability. The basic meaning of power and responsibility/accountability in line is that power should be in line not only with responsibility but also accountability. Power, responsibility and accountability maintaining the necessary tension is the lowest request about power and responsibility/accountability in line. They are all aiming at fulfilling the public interest. The research on the relations among power, responsibility and accountability is the basic starting point of this thesis. The chronicle view about power and the responsibility/accountability in line and the deviation between power and the responsibility/accountability are all from the starting point. No matter however they change, they must always be the most important approach to ensure the harmonious development.Power and the responsibility/accountability are not only the core problem in Administration; they are also the core concepts in Politics.The relations between power and responsibility/accountability and especially the democratic question in Administration are originated from social contract about the source of power, attribution, constraints and the responsibility undertaking. That not only laid the foundation for democracy, but also established the civil rights-based of power and the responsibility/accountability in line. The research significance in Politics is that it provides the ultimate value guidance for the relations. Furthermore, in the beginning of the administration, it acted as a science studying how to keep administrative system independent and performative. In Industrial Revolution time, the science of administration has the urgent demand to the efficiency value. It also determines that it is absorbing and drawing on the Management. The field of management has an earlier study on the relations of power and responsibility/accountability. Although there is no conception of power and the responsibility/accountability in line, it has attracted great attention in the management field. Fayol had also treated it as the basic principles of management. Power and responsibility consistent in the management science has the material effect identical to the science of administration. However, we must see clearly that there is obvious deviation between Management and Administration. The former is based on the mechanicalness and the utilizable efficiency achievement realizing the power and responsibility/accountability consistent goal, stripping the rights of citizens and the citizen value in the power and the responsibility foundational status and the public nature of public administration. That blurred the differences about the nature of the two. If the field of Public Administration absorbed the democratic values from the Politics and made power and the responsibility/accountability in line show the constitutional doctrine of substantive legitimate features. Then, the field of Public Administration absorbed from the management science present the form rationality managerial characteristic. From the historical evolution of the power and responsibility/accountability relations, it is the choice process swings unceasingly between two vertices. We can't arbitrarily determine which of the two is better. They all own the rationality of its existence and inevitability and they all promote power and responsibility/accountability closer. Once to the endpoint, it must break the balance. The relations between power and responsibility/accountability are precisely in the condition which is unceasingly balanced--- unbalanced orientations are being consistent.As for the process of historical development, we set the analysis from the former-Public Administration, the classic Public Administration and the post-Public Administration. Apart from the former-Public Administration, we try to analysis from the time background, the main power and responsibility/accountability relation and the realization. Through the analysis we can draw the conclusion that power and responsibility/accountability in line is in the historical context. The realization varies from time to time. More importantly, it is almost impossible to make power and responsibility/accountability in line come true exactly in reality. It is more like a continuous departure from the process. The theoretician and the practice pay mostly lies in the power and responsibility which to overcome the departure from the emerging situation. Nevertheless, we believe that the deviation is the objective existence in a democratic system in the development process, or even embedded in the bureaucratic system. Regardless of which any method expected that realizes the power and responsibility to be consistent, hardly can gets rid of the shadow which and the fetters with difficulty the power and responsibility departs from each other. Among these reasons, there are common causes beyond the limitations of times; however, more is due to the new development and public administration in the specific historical context of the institutional arrangements made by the powers and responsibilities arising from departure from the situation. Therefore, this thesis launches the analysis and the elaboration separately on these two aspect reasons.Any fundamental research separated from the reality concern will certainly lose the vigor even to have the significance. Adhering to this concept, the final foothold will be laid on the structure and trend in the new era. After the emerging of the Governance, the biggest change lies in the polycenter and the network governance, government is no longer the only authority and authoritative center, multiple main parts share the control of the public power, and undertake the governance responsibility together. The linkage among multi-subjects is increasingly obvious. It has also greatly enhanced the interdependence and increasingly blurred the responsibility boundaries. It becomes more and more difficult for accountability. This is the challenges posed by the development of the new era. And to some extent, it expands the extent of the fracture between ideal and the reality. However, even if faced with these challenges, we still can see a glimmer of hope. The way to obtain this ray of hope is that we should not only strengthen our confidence even more to convert our way of thinking. The opening governance time calls for thinking systematically, and the overall co-ordination as well as human care and attention. As for the power and responsibility/accountability, the main task is to get rid of the traditional ideas fetters content, and correspondence. Standing outside the traditional view, re-examine and arrange the relations. More fundamentally, we should highlight the value of human subjectivity and beyond the rule of law, bound by ethical and moral exercise of power behavior, emphasizes the positive sense of responsibility for the guiding role of power. And to stimulate civil society's contribution to public management of meaning and strengthening the diversity of governance, including citizens, the communication between the main body, dialogue, consultation. Make up"the tool rationality"with"the dialog rationality"and"the reconsideration rationality", and makes the person's self-rule and self-conscious act as a binding force for social development and human full free development of the fundamental driving force. So that draws power and responsibility/accountability in line towards a moral conscious.