Political and Administrative Criminal Record

Abstract

The paper brings an original contribution to the debate on the accountability of the political class and the reform of the public administration, proposing a practical and concrete mechanism for the evaluation of the activity. The objective is to show that the introduction of a political and administrative record as an innovative tool for assessing the performance and integrity of politicians, dignitaries and public officials will lead to increased transparency and accountability in public administration, providing citizens with a clear and objective means to make informed decisions in the electoral process. The main research methods were the comparative analysis (a parallel between the criminal record model and the proposed concept of political and administrative record), the inductive method (starting from concrete examples of administrative and political dysfunctions, general conclusions are drawn on the need for an accountability tool) and the exploratory method (the proposal of the political and administrative record is an innovative initiative,  and the author explores the feasibility of this mechanism, identifying potential advantages, risks and solutions for implementation). As regards the implications of the work, the implementation of a political and administrative record would have major implications for society, being beneficial both for citizens because it would represent an information tool that allows them to exercise their right to vote consciously, and for public institutions as it would improve the process of selection and promotion of civil servants,  increasing professionalism and ethics in the public sector. The essential value of the paper is to highlight the transformative role that such an instrument would have, especially since the proposal is based on pre-existing models (criminal record) and explores the feasibility of implementing a similar system for the political and administrative area, based on objective criteria for evaluating the activity of politicians and dignitaries. In addition, researchers and practitioners could use this tool to analyse political and administrative trends and propose further measures to improve governance.