attention to the idea of ‘affectedness’ to justify a rule of inclusion for those who are affected by the decisions made (Hirst, 2000). The idea behind this new perspective is that the degree of affectedness of individuals will validate the legitimate bounds of inclusivity. Mulgan (2003: 10) made a connection to accountability by stating that “strictly speaking, the concept of accountability implies potentiality (accountability [italics added]), the possibility [italics added] of being called and held to account.” In this regard, the question of inclusivity (the range of representation) becomes similar to that of responsiveness (the degree of representation). The answer lies in the questions regarding the possibility and capacity of representation, such as ‘whether constituents are affected by a decision’ or ‘who the legitimate accountability holders are’ rather than ‘how inclusive the representation should be.’

Equity

The terms equity, fairness, or justice are often used interchangeably around the central theme of public value. When applied to democratic accountability, the term equity pertains to being accountable for the full and fair participation by all potentially affected stakeholders. It refers to the role of public administers to be accountable for the equitable administration, especially with “a willingness to act in a transparent, fair, and equitable way” (Bovens, 2010: 450). Even though the concept of equity overlaps considerably with responsiveness and inclusion, it is more concerned with ‘the relative level of representation across citizens’ rather than the absolute degree or range of representation.

More recent literature constitutes the basis for bottom-up approaches to equity. Equity emphasizes ‘how equally’ people want to be represented, while responsiveness and inclusion focus on ‘how (responsiveness) and whether (inclusion)’ to represent from the standpoints of public officials. Under the reciprocal relations of accountability between those who hold others accountable and those held accountable, equity is usually used in holder-oriented contexts, whereas responsiveness and inclusion are often u