Authority vs. Accountability

Authoritynoun

(uncountable) The power to enforce rules or give orders.

‘I have the authority to penalise the staff in my department, but not the authority to sack them.’; ‘She lost all her respect and authority after turning up drunk to the meeting.’; ‘Respect my authority!’;

Accountabilitynoun

The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; accountableness; responsible for; answerable for.

Authoritynoun

(used in singular or plural form) Persons in command; specifically, government.

Accountabilitynoun

(military) The obligation imposed by law or lawful order or regulation on an officer or other person for keeping accurate record of property, documents, or funds. The person having this obligation may or may not have actual possession of the property, documents, or funds. Accountability is concerned primarily with records, while responsibility is concerned primarily with custody, care, and safekeeping.

Authoritynoun

(countable) A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject.

‘the world's foremost authority on orangutans’;

Accountabilitynoun

The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; the obligation to bear the consequences for failure to perform as expected; accountableness.

Authoritynoun

Government-owned agency which runs a revenue-generating activity.

‘New York Port Authority’;

Accountabilitynoun

responsibility to someone or for some activity

Authoritynoun

Legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised buy a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court.

‘Thus can the demigod, Authority,Make us pay down for our offense.’; ‘By what authority doest thou these things ?’;

Accountabilitynoun

the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility

‘lack of accountability has corroded public respect for business and political leaders’;

Authoritynoun

Government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities.

Accountability

Accountability, in terms of ethics and governance, is equated with answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As in an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) and individual contexts.

Authoritynoun

The power derived from opinion, respect, or esteem; influence of character, office, or station, or mental or moral superiority, and the like; claim to be believed or obeyed; as, an historian of no authority; a magistrate of great authority.

Authoritynoun

That which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc.

‘Wilt thou be glass wherein it shall discernAuthority for sin, warrant for blame.’;

Authoritynoun

the power or right to give orders or make decisions;

‘he has the authority to issue warrants’; ‘deputies are given authorization to make arrests’;

Authoritynoun

(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others;

‘the authorities have issued a curfew’;

Authoritynoun

an expert whose views are taken as definitive;

‘he is an authority on corporate law’;

Authoritynoun

freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities;

‘his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular’; ‘after that failure he lost his confidence’; ‘she spoke with authority’;

Authoritynoun

an administrative unit of government;

‘the Central Intelligence Agency’; ‘the Census Bureau’; ‘Office of Management and Budget’; ‘Tennessee Valley Authority’;

Authoritynoun

official permission or approval;

‘authority for the program was renewed several times’;

Authoritynoun

an authoritative written work;

‘this book is the final authority on the life of Milton’;

Authority

In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power that a person or a group of persons possess and practice over other people. In a civil state, authority is made formal by way of a judicial branch and an executive branch of government.In the exercise of governance, the terms authority and power are inaccurate synonyms.