행정의 책무성 평가를 위한 제안:보편적 책무성 관점을 중심으로 = A Study of Evaluation of Public Accountability:Focusing on the Perspective of Universal Accountability

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

With the peak of the pandemic, the environment surrounding public administration has been undergoing turbulent transformation. These changes have raised fundamental questions about the nature of administrative accountability and the means by which it can be ensured. As administrative accountability serves as both evidence of the government's legitimacy and a justification for public policy, assessing its level becomes symbolic of validating policy legitimacy itself. This study argues that legacy theories of public administration and their associated policy mechanisms for evaluating accountability—most notably those designed to resolve the so-called “many hands problems”—are limited in addressing the current accountability overload and deficits. The underlying universal discourses and institutional designs that have shaped traditional approaches no longer adequately reflect the complexities of today’s administrative environment. Through a critical analysis of legacy research, this study proposes that future discussions on administrative accountability should shift focus from compliance with legal-institutional norms and economic contracts to the dynamic interactions among stakeholders within public governance. The study concludes by proposing an assessment tool for evaluating the level of administrative accountability, grounded in both theoretical insights and policy considerations.