A ‘panoptical’ or ‘synoptical’ approach to monitoring performance? Local public services in England and the widening accountability gap

• Main Authors: Eckersley, Peter, Ferry, Laurence, Zakaria, Zamzulaila
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Elsevier 2014
• Subjects: HJ7451 Expenditures. Government spending
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/38859/1/CPA_paper.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/38859/4/38859_A%20%E2%80%98panoptical%E2%80%99%20or%20%E2%80%98synoptical%E2%80%99_SCOPUS.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/38859/; http://www.journals.elsevier.com/critical-perspectives-on-accounting/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2013.03.003

This article highlights how recent reforms to the auditing and assessment of local public services in England suggest there will be a shift from panoptical to ‘synoptical’ monitoring approaches. This is because the UK Government has abolished its centralised monitoring regime and instead required...