Developing a Social Accountability Framework for Public Organizations in Iran

Social accountability of public agencies is one of the requirements of public governance in the country. This kind of accountability is responding to social groups. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for establishing social accountability in Iranian public sector organizations based on grounded theory. The statistical population of this research includes experts who have sufficient knowledge and practical experience in the field of social accountability. According to the research framework, a semi-structured method based on Atlas ta software has been used to collect the required data. After analyzing the text of the interviews, the dimensions of social accountability and causal, mediator and moderator variables were identified to develop a final framework. Research findings show that international requirements, the type of organizational mission, organizational culture, legal requirements, organizational reputation and public maturity of society are key factors influencing the establishment of social accountability in public agencies. Meanwhile, the outcomes of establishing social accountability in public agencies are an increase in public trust, public satisfaction, and comunity growth and excellence.