Accountability Expectations in an Intergovernmental Arena: The National Rural Development Partnership

Abstract

This article explores the expectations and accountability relationships present in an intergovernmental experiment known as the National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP). As such, this study extends earlier analyses of accountability dynamics beyond the bounds of a single agency into the organizationally less tidy realm of intergovernmental relations. This research focuses on the unique expectations and accountability dynamics facing participants in the NRDP and identifies gaps between expectations at the corporate (agency) and individual levels and between arenas in the intergovernmental system. These gaps complicate the accountability dynamics for NRDP participants and contribute to the challenges of operating within the rural development policy arena. The NRDP is designed to emphasize the relationship between processes and substantive outcomes. It has developed a tendency to rely on professional and political accountability relationships that have little to do with formal responsibilities.

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