In a democracy the people in charge need to make sure that the institutions are responsible for what they do. At the time these institutions needed to have enough freedom to do their jobs properly. This is what we mean by governance. Governance is important because it helps institutions, like the government, to work well. The government and other institutions need to be accountable which means they need to answer to the people.. They also need to have enough autonomy, which means they need to be able to make some decisions on their own so they can perform effectively and do what they are supposed to do.
Balancing Accountability and Autonomy
When we have accountability it helps to be transparent. Stops people from using power in the wrong way. On the other hand , autonomy gives professionals the freedom to make their own decisions.
If we have much of either accountability or autonomy it can actually make governance weaker. Accountability and autonomy are both important. We need to find a good balance between them so that accountability and autonomy can work well together.
Way Forward
To keep things fair we need rules and we have to check how well people are doing their jobs. We also have to keep an eye on what’s going on with the help of computers and the internet. Clear mandates and performance-based evaluation and digital monitoring all help us maintain this balance.
Balanced integration of accountability and autonomy is essential for effective governance and public trust.
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About the Author: Jyoti Verma