Accountability from the periphery to the centre of the local government research agenda

Accountability is a familiar concept, taken for granted most of the time. This article underscores the need to bring accountability to the centre of empirical analysis in local government studies. A systematic literature review was conducted to revise how accountability as a process or outcome is being explored in Local Government Studies. After a spirited debate in the 90s involving practitioners, accountability has consistently been mentioned and discussed, albeit often on the periphery of the empirical analysis. As local governments are a key dimension for local-level democratic governance worldwide, it is crucial to invigorate research on accountability and bring it to the forefront of our research agenda connected to the digitalisation of society, political distrust, and non-financial drivers of society (humanitarian and environmental agendas). The paper outlines potential paths for a future research agenda on accountability for local governments.