Jose Maria Marin Aguirre

In cooperation with the University of Potsdam

This dissertation explores the concept and effects of felt accountability within the German public sector, focusing on ethical decision-making and behavior. Amid rising demands for accountability of public officials, this study examines how felt accountability - individual-level informal accountability - affects moral reasoning and counterproductive work behavior across a sample of German public officials by combining a multidisciplinary theoretical framework with empirical research. The findings will contribute to the broader accountability literature by better understanding how felt accountability in the public administration translates into outcomes in behaviors.