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
