Tales of accountability: a Q-method study of discourses amongst Tanzanian members of parliament

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dc.creatorKatomero, Jesper
dc.creatorHoppe, Robert
dc.creatorWesselink, Anna
dc.date2020-03-20T06:49:56Z
dc.date2020-03-20T06:49:56Z
dc.date2017
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-20T12:01:01Z
dc.date.available2022-10-20T12:01:01Z
dc.descriptionFull Text Article. Also available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core.
dc.descriptionThe hallmark of accountability in a democracy centres on the way the elected parliament holds the executive to account. If the parliament does not perform its oversight role effectively, lower authorities would have fewer incentives to do the same vis-à-vis local executives. In this article we therefore ask whether or not different meanings of accountability can be discerned amongst Tanzanian Members of Parliament (MPs). In our Q-method research we found four clearly identifiable discourses on accountability amongst Tanzanian MPs: Partycrats; My Electorate's Advocates; Frustrated Account Holders; and Pragmatic Account Holders. We understand MPs discourses within the broader context of political clientelism and we argue that this combination of discourses, or accountability culture, enables the executive to rule in semi-autocratic ways. Even if opposition parties would obtain a parliamentary majority, this accountability culture stands in the way of achieving greater democratic responsiveness.
dc.identifierKatomero, J., Hoppe, R., & Wesselink, A. (2017). Tales of accountability: a Q-method study of discourses amongst Tanzanian members of parliament. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 55(3), 423-453.
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X1700009X
dc.identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12661/2243
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12661/2243
dc.languageen
dc.publisherCambridge University Press
dc.subjectAccountability
dc.subjectDemocracy
dc.subjectParliament
dc.subjectMembers of Parliament
dc.subjectMPs
dc.subjectExecutive
dc.subjectSemi-autocratic
dc.subjectPolitical parties
dc.titleTales of accountability: a Q-method study of discourses amongst Tanzanian members of parliament
dc.typeArticle

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