How much information should be provided?
The type of information and the level of detail to be provided will vary according to the level of governing. For example, at the program level in the health field, program managers may want to know hospital bed utilization rates; at the government level, legislators and taxpayers may want to know how the decision to locate a facility was made; and at the societal level, legislators and citizens may want to know what the health goals are for the Province. We believe the information needed to answer these and similar questions are the same as that required for effective management. However, the information would need to be aggregated differently. Program managers, for instance, would likely require more detailed information than legislators would need to assess government performance.
What should the quality of that information be?
The quality of the information to be reported is critical if it is to be of value in assessing performance. Accountability information should be: relevant (deal with matters of interest to users); complete (deal with all significant aspects of financial and non-financial data of the subject matter); meaningful (be readily comparable to previous periods; provide sufficient contextual material; and …show more content…
Summary reports can provide important information at the government-wide level; sectoral reports, such as the Report on the State of the Environment, can provide valuable information about the status of a particular policy area; organizational reports can provide more detailed information about the operations of government programs. The information to be reported will vary in detail according to the level of accountability. Accountability information could be made available electronically, as well as in print, as a way of reducing costs and broadening
The type of information and the level of detail to be provided will vary according to the level of governing. For example, at the program level in the health field, program managers may want to know hospital bed utilization rates; at the government level, legislators and taxpayers may want to know how the decision to locate a facility was made; and at the societal level, legislators and citizens may want to know what the health goals are for the Province. We believe the information needed to answer these and similar questions are the same as that required for effective management. However, the information would need to be aggregated differently. Program managers, for instance, would likely require more detailed information than legislators would need to assess government performance.
What should the quality of that information be?
The quality of the information to be reported is critical if it is to be of value in assessing performance. Accountability information should be: relevant (deal with matters of interest to users); complete (deal with all significant aspects of financial and non-financial data of the subject matter); meaningful (be readily comparable to previous periods; provide sufficient contextual material; and …show more content…
Summary reports can provide important information at the government-wide level; sectoral reports, such as the Report on the State of the Environment, can provide valuable information about the status of a particular policy area; organizational reports can provide more detailed information about the operations of government programs. The information to be reported will vary in detail according to the level of accountability. Accountability information could be made available electronically, as well as in print, as a way of reducing costs and broadening