In search of the Holy Grail - accountability and performance in welfare administration reform

This paper starts with a theoretical discussion on the relationship between performance and accountability in public organizations with a special focus on administrative reforms. Accountability theory is discussed and related to different aspects of performance. How ambiguous is the relationship between accountability and performance? Do different types of accountability relate to different aspects of performance or pose certain challenges in NPM reforms, post-NPM reforms and hybrid reforms? The second part of the paper illustrates accountability and performance relations in two large welfare administration reforms in Norway (NAV-reform) and Germany (Hartz-reform) by addressing the impact of these reforms on accountability and performance dynamics. We focus on how the reforms have affected different kinds of accountability relations and the relationship between accountability and performance by focusing on performance management systems. The data used are document studies, interviews and survey data from a large evaluation project. Paper to be presented at the workshop on “Administrative organization and the welfare state: wicked issues and the challenges of accountability, legitimacy and coordination” at the 2014 Joint Sessions of Workshops at Universidad de Salamanca, Spain, 10 – 15 April.