Accountability in the context of constitutional and administrative law is a complex concept. This book examines the legal framework of public institutions in light of contemporary accountability debates, the role of human rights in public accountability, accountability in regulation, and the operation of accountability in multi-layered government.

• Introduction: Accountability in the Contemporary Constitution


• The Spirits of the Constitution


• Judicial Accountability in Comparative Perspective


• Accountability to Law


• Adjudication as Accountability: A Deliberative Approach


• The Instrumental Value of Legal Accountability


• Accountability, Human Rights Adjudication and the Human Rights Act


• Accountability and Judicial Review in the UK and EU: Central Precepts


• Parliamentary Accountability and the Judicial System


• Ombudsmen, Tribunals, Inquiries: Re-fashioning Accountability Beyond the Courts


• Accountability of and to the Legislature


• Accountability and the Foundations of British Democracy - the Public Interest and Public Service Principles


• Multi-layered Constitutional Accountability and the Refinancing of Territorial Governance in the UK


• Beyond New Public Management: Problems of Accountability in the Modern Administrative State


• Regulatory Accountability: Capacities, Challenges, and Prospects


• Legal Accountability and Social Justice

Nicholas Bamforth is a Fellow in Law at The Queen's College, Oxford. His research focuses on public law, human rights, and discrimination law. His publications include: Patriarchal Religion, Sexuality and Gender: A Critique of New Natural Law (with D Richards) and Discrimination Law - Theory in Context: Text and Materials (with M Malik and C O'Cinneide, 2008).
Peter Leyland is Professor of Public Law at London Metropolitan University. He co-edits the Constitutional Systems of the World series and is the author of numerous books and articles on constitutional law, administrative law, and comparative public law, including The Constitution of the United Kingdom: A Contextual Analysis (2012) and Textbook on Administrative Law (7th edition, with G Anthony, 2012).
Nicholas Bamforth and Peter Leyland jointly edited Public Law in a Multi-Layered Constitution (2003).