Introduction
A service charter is a document indicating the responsibility and services, which customers
of citizens expect; for example, governments define the commitments and undertakings
they have to the public. Service charters inform citizens about the standards that they
expect to get from the government; this includes the quality and time frame for these
services. It is apparent that citizens directly or indirectly fund public services; therefore,
the public has the right to receive maximum services, which are responsive to their
requirements. Hence, the service charter spells out the quality of service delivery; for
instance, public hospitals indicate the medical services available, the cost, and the
timeframe of the services. This paper will evaluate the role of service charters in enhancing
public service delivery and advancing service providers’ accountability to citizens.
Although some people view them as insignificant, service charters have proven to be
essential in providing services in an efficient manner.
The Role of Service Charters
Essentially, charters purpose to enhance the value of services through presenting the
standards, which users anticipate for each service provided by the government or an
organization. In this modern era, citizens are highly knowledgeable about their rights as
users of public services; additionally, citizens also know the complaint systems to voice
their objections (Centre for Good Governance). In reference to social accountability,
service charters play an extremely crucial role; this is because the standards set by the
providers act as benchmarks for monitoring and evaluating their service delivery.
The other role of charters is to create understanding to governments and organizations as
regards to their responsibilities in improving performance and service delivery (Centre for
Good Governance). They act as reminders to providers of their functions, core values,
activities, and expectations of stakeholders. Service providers become well aware that not
living to the standards of the services would cause users to look for other ways to voicing
their grievances. Hence, providers work towards continuously improving the services,
acting on users’ feedback in order to satisfy them, and remedying flawed standards.
India is an example of a nation that has seen the implementation of charters, which serve
the needs of citizens; for example, the Praja Foundation website incorporates standards
illustrating effective public service delivery (Praja Foundation 2009, p1). In addition, the
website identifies the mechanisms of handling citizen complaints in case the services are
not delivered in the promised manner. According to Praja Foundation (2009, p1), the
