Accountability and the Canada Firearms Centre

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Accountability and the Canada Firearms Centre

• Performance Breakfast Series Presentation
• John Brunet, CA
• John.Brunet_at_cfc-cafc.gc.ca
• Rocky J. Dwyer, PhD
• Rocky.Dwyer_at_cfc-cafc.gc.ca September 16, 2004

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Outline

• CAFC the history
• Modernizing accountability
• The accountability process
• Keys to effective accountability
• The many roles for evaluation

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CFAC the history
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CAFC Cost Perspective
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Traditional accountability

• Accountability is not a simple concept
• - Its meaning how it works often disputed
• - Traditionally tied to hierarchy
• Traditionally, there has been accountability for
• - Resource inputs, activities and outputs
• - Adherence to rules and procedures
• - Actions taken or not blame culture

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CFAC Accountability

• Pressures for change in public sector management
  and governance
• - Focus on results distinguishing outcomes
  from outputs
• - Increased use of partnering arrangements
• - Increased discretion, flexibility and
  innovation
• (risk-taking)

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Purposes of CAFC Accountability

• Control against undo influence by managers
• Provide assurance that activities are carried out
  as intended, with due regard for fairness,
  propriety and good stewardship
• Encourage improved performance by reporting on
  learning from what works does not work

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Accountability revisited

• Accountability
• A relationship based on obligations to
  demonstrate, review, and take responsibility for
  performance, both the results achieved in light
  of agreed expectations and the means used.

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Principles of effective accountability

• Clear roles and responsibilities
• - Parties understand and agree upon them
• Clear performance expectations
• - Objectives, expected results constraints
• A balance of expectations with capacities
• - Linked to each partys capacity to deliver
• Credible reporting
• - Demonstrating achievements learning
• - Balanced both good news and bad not just
  good
• Reasonable review of performance
• - with adjustments, corrections consequences
  for individuals (rewards sanctions)

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The accountability process
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CAFC Accountability Framework

• Clear roles and responsibilities
• Clear and realistic expected performance
• Credible reporting and requirements
• Effective mechanisms for review adjustment
• In the context of transparency
• public service values

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Holding to account

• How are those responsible being held to account?
• Reporting credible, understandable and timely
• - Financial and non-financial results
• - Means used to achieve those results (fairness,
  propriety good stewardship)
• - Both good news and bad
• Review adjustment
• - Review analysis of performance
• - Necessary adjustments Something has to happen

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Keys to effective accountability

• Fostering a climate for values results
• Designing practical yet challenging
  accountability frameworks
• Reliable measurement of results, and means
• Learning not to blame results-based learning
• Setting outcome performance expectations
• Reasonable accountability for outcomes
• Implementing accountability practices

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Setting expectations

• Essential for accountability
• Traditionally involves specifying a few clear and
  concrete output/outcome performance levels
• Would be better to
• - present and discuss the results chain
• - agree on some clear and concrete outputs and
  outcomes within the results chain to be
  accomplished
• Performance expectations results chains

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Accountability for outcomes

• Need to credibly demonstrate
• The extent to which the expected results were
  achieved
• The contribution made by activities and outputs
  of the program to the outcomes
• The learning and change that have resulted, and
• The soundness and propriety of the means used

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Outcomes and attribution

• Outcome results-focus requires credible
  assessment of programs contribution
• Contribution analysis not an exact science
• Logic and empirical evidence can provide a
  reasonable basis for attribution
• Looking for plausible association

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Evaluating accountability

• Is there an appropriate framework?
• - Roles and responsibilities
• - Expected performance
• - Reporting requirements
• - Mechanisms for review and adjustment
• Is the arrangement being held effectively to
  account?
• - Credible reporting
• - Closing the loop (reviewing and adjusting)

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Conclusion

• Move beyond blame
• Hold those responsible for public policy
  effectively to account
• - For the results and implementation through
  learning
• - For the means used to achieve the results
• All based on sensible measurement (evaluation and
  monitoring) of results and contribution

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Questions