What is accountability?
___You hold entities (and individuals) accountable for the openness of their actions, practices and policies
___You advocate for laws, regulations, and policies that provide strong enough sanctions to assure that entities (and individuals) are accountable for the legality, ethics, and effectiveness of their actions, practices, and policies
Why might you seek accountability?
___Ensure that citizens get what they need
___Protect the public from harm
___Protect the public's right to know
___Protect the rights and information of whistleblowers
___Ensure that people harmed by the intentional wrongdoing of entities are compensated
___Guard against the misuse of public money
___Ensure that consumers get what they pay for
___Assure the ethical behavior of governments, corporations, organizations, and institutions
___Procure simple justice
When might you seek accountability?
___Members of the community are in need and nothing is being done
___An entity is about to, or continues to, do something harmful
___Economic damage to either the public at large or individuals is being, or about to be, done
___A business wants to locate in a community
___An elected official or someone running for office has violated the public trust, has misrepresented his positions or background, or is otherwise unfit for public office
___Some individual or interest has unfairly or illegally influenced official policy or the votes of elected officials
___A blatant injustice is about to be done
Who might be held accountable?
___Elected and appointed government officials
___Law enforcement
___Government agencies
___Government contractors
___Nonprofits that seek money directly from the public
___Corporations and businesses
___Individuals and entities seeking to influence public policy
___Individuals whose positions within an organization give them power
How do you request accountability?
___You do the necessary research
___You decide what kind of accountability you want
___You appeal directly to the entity
___You go to the appropriate regulatory agency
___You go public
___You institute direct action
___You engage in legislative advocacy
___You initiate a lawsuit