[discuss] Two accountability questions - help pls- Workshop 23 - ICANN accountability

Mon Sep 1 13:05:28 UTC 2014

On Sep 1, 2014, at 10:14 AM, Jordan Carter <jordan at internetnz.net.nz> wrote:

>> By "internal", are you asking wether such could be adequate based on ICANN's
>> current specific governance structures, or asking more generically the question
>> of "can any organization be accountable to an external community for performance
>> of a task", and have the accountability anchored solely via internal mechanisms?"
>> 
> 
> The more general question, as phrased, is very elegant. Interested in your view!

While is certainly can be challenging to provide for durable accountability 
between parties based on internal mechanisms, I believe it can be done.

The difficult aspect for parties within an organization is that any mechanism 
has to be enforceable, but internal parties may not be able to leverage the 
typical contractual approach due to challenges in ability to contract...) 

If the relation between parties remains within a single organization and the 
purpose of the organization is well aligned with interests of these various 
these internal parties, then it might be worth considering a membership-based 
structure for the overall organization, as such a structure can provide for 
specific rights for the parties and allows for ready legal redress if such 
were ever needed.

All of this presumes, of course, that there is actual alignment of the goals
and interests of the organization and its various constituent parties.

/John

Disclaimer: my views alone.