7. Delegation and accountability

Question 1

Who said it? “Even sane people in higher office go crazy”

Answer 1

Plato.

Question 2

Who proposes division between powers?

Answer 2

Montesquieu. Three divisions of power: executive, legislative, judicial.

Question 3

What is delegation?

Answer 3

“An act where one person or group, called a principal, relies on another person or group, called an agent, to act on the principal’s behalf” (Lupia and McCubbins 1998)

From citizens to individual politicians

Question 4

Why delegate according to Dahl?

Answer 4

Capacity
Competence
Social choice and collective action problems

Question 5

Delegation comes with …. of experts (Dahl)

Answer 5

tyranny

Question 6

Accountability is….

Answer 6

…a mechanism to increase institutional reaction to public

Question 7

When is the agent accountable to the principal?

Answer 7

Agent is obliged to act on behalf of the principal or the principal can actually reward or punish the agent

Question 8

According to Strøm (2000) democratic governance is…

Answer 8

effective (but limited) government containing mechanisms of delegation and accountability