TY - JOUR
T1 - Tales of accountability
T2 - A Q-method study of discourses amongst Tanzanian members of parliament
AU - Katomero, Jesper
AU - Hoppe, Robert
AU - Wesselink, Anna
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - The hallmark of accountability in a democracy centres on the way the elected parliament holds the executive to account. If the parliament does not perform its oversight role effectively, lower authorities would have fewer incentives to do the same vis-à-vis local executives. In this article we therefore ask whether or not different meanings of accountability can be discerned amongst Tanzanian Members of Parliament (MPs). In our Q-method research we found four clearly identifiable discourses on accountability amongst Tanzanian MPs: Partycrats; My Electorate's Advocates; Frustrated Account Holders; and Pragmatic Account Holders. We understand MPs discourses within the broader context of political clientelism and we argue that this combination of discourses, or accountability culture, enables the executive to rule in semi-autocratic ways. Even if opposition parties would obtain a parliamentary majority, this accountability culture stands in the way of achieving greater democratic responsiveness.
AB - The hallmark of accountability in a democracy centres on the way the elected parliament holds the executive to account. If the parliament does not perform its oversight role effectively, lower authorities would have fewer incentives to do the same vis-à-vis local executives. In this article we therefore ask whether or not different meanings of accountability can be discerned amongst Tanzanian Members of Parliament (MPs). In our Q-method research we found four clearly identifiable discourses on accountability amongst Tanzanian MPs: Partycrats; My Electorate's Advocates; Frustrated Account Holders; and Pragmatic Account Holders. We understand MPs discourses within the broader context of political clientelism and we argue that this combination of discourses, or accountability culture, enables the executive to rule in semi-autocratic ways. Even if opposition parties would obtain a parliamentary majority, this accountability culture stands in the way of achieving greater democratic responsiveness.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028327221&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0022278X1700009X
DO - 10.1017/S0022278X1700009X
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85028327221
VL - 55
SP - 423
EP - 453
JO - Journal of modern African studies
JF - Journal of modern African studies
SN - 0022-278X
IS - 3
ER -