From feared to felt accountability: improving public accountability through an individual approach

Public accountability is intended to foster felt accountability, but in practice it often evokes negative emotions such as anxiety and frustration. These emotions can hinder professionals from doing their work well. This project combined insights from psychology and public administration to study public servants in different contexts, including police officers and teachers, and to improve accountability practices. Based on observations, interviews, and surveys, the research identifies ways to improve accountability and inspection processes. The findings show that preventing surprises, ensuring relevance, and providing support can help transform anxiety and frustration into acceptance and pride.