The concept of accountability is defined based on a technical apparatus of rules. The prevailing conception, as described by Dubnick and Frederickson, focuses on control and consequence. They divide the concept into pre factum and post factum arenas, the former encompassing rules of control and the latter, consequences for the violation of rules. This two-dimensional view of accountability neglects the moment of decision and action, which might be referred to as the per factum dimension. Introducing this added dimension to accountability highlights the political quality of the concept by drawing attention to practices and opportunities for contestation.