> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://democracy-distributed.gitbook.io/democracy-distributed-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://democracy-distributed.gitbook.io/democracy-distributed-docs/understand/chain-of-accountability.md).

# The chain of accountability

Every decision an organization makes is really a chain of steps: someone raises an idea, it becomes a proposal, it's debated and voted on, it follows or changes a rule, and money or work follows.

Usually those steps are scattered across meeting minutes, policies, budgets, and people's memories. DD aims to put them in one connected chain, so you can:

* **understand the process:** how something actually got decided and done
* **point to one exact step:** "this vote", "this rule", "this payment"
* **move back and forth:** from a payment back to the decision behind it, or from an idea forward to what it became
* **find the people involved:** who raised it, who decided, who carried it out, and connect with others who care about that same step

The chain is meant to work for **any organization**: a city government, a community group, or your workplace.

## The links

```
Suggestion → Item → Vote → Rule → Project → Transaction → Ledger
  (idea)  (proposal) (decision) (law/policy) (the work) (the money) (the accounts)
```

| Link            | What it is                                                                                                         | Example                                               |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Suggestion**  | An idea or concern raised by anyone. Several similar suggestions can feed one Item.                                | "The path in the park is falling apart."              |
| **Item**        | A formal proposal that goes to a meeting for a decision.                                                           | "Authorize $50,000 to resurface the park path."       |
| **Vote**        | The decision itself: when, the result, and, where recorded, who voted which way.                                   | Passed, 8–1.                                          |
| **Rule**        | The law, by-law, or policy behind a decision. Decisions can create or change rules, and rules can authorize money. | A by-law, a group's constitution, a workplace policy. |
| **Project**     | The approved work, with scope and budget. It's optional: some decisions move money directly.                       | "Park path resurfacing."                              |
| **Transaction** | Money moving: who paid whom, how much, when. It links back to what authorized it.                                  | $15,000 paid to the paving contractor.                |
| **Ledger**      | The accounting entries behind every Transaction.                                                                   | Parks budget −$15,000.                                |

**People sit at every link:** who suggested it, who proposed it, who voted, who holds the role that carries it out.

## Questions the chain answers

* Who made this decision, and how?
* Who wanted it in the first place?
* What rule does it rest on, and am I actually bound by it?
* Can the rule be changed, and how?
* Where did the money go, and did the work happen?

### Example: a decision at work

Management announces a new policy that many people dislike. The chain would show:

* who proposed it, and what problem they were trying to solve
* who approved it, and when
* what existing rule or policy gives them the authority, and whether it actually does
* who else has raised concerns about the same step, so people can talk to each other instead of complaining alone

### Example: property tax

Nobody votes on your individual tax bill. The money comes in because of a **rule**:

1. **Council passes a by-law** that sets the year's property tax levy. In Toronto, for example, the 2024 levy rests on a by-law adopted by City Council.
2. **The by-law authorizes collection.** It's the rule in force that year.
3. **Every tax payment points back to that by-law**, and through it to the Council vote that enacted it.

Rules change too. When a council amends a by-law, or a group amends its constitution, the chain is meant to show what the rule said before, what it says now, and which vote changed it. Each payment keeps the rule that was in force **when the money moved**, so a later change doesn't rewrite history.

### Example: paying for a park path

Money doesn't always move the same way, even for one project:

1. **Paid at a milestone.** The contractor finishes half the path and is paid for that stage.
2. **Paid when the project is done.** A single deliverable, paid on completion.
3. **Paid directly on the vote.** If council instead gives a grant to a community group to fix the path, there's no project: the vote itself triggers the payment.

And not every payment needs a vote. Buying gravel for routine maintenance is delegated to a staff role, so the chain points to the person and position that spent it rather than to a council decision. Contracts and hiring, on the other hand, always trace back to a decision.

## Gaps

Real chains are often incomplete. In the Toronto data we've worked with so far, official sources tend to publish the **decision** at one end and sometimes the **result** at the other, with the steps in between rarely published.

The aim is for DD to show which link is missing, so each gap becomes a task someone can take on through the [Contributor Network](/democracy-distributed-docs/understand/contributor-network.md). Even half a chain can be useful, because it shows where the gap is.

DD aims to record documented facts and gaps, not to assert wrongdoing.

**Next:** [WikiGov →](/democracy-distributed-docs/understand/wikigov.md) · [POD →](/democracy-distributed-docs/understand/pod.md) · [Key concepts →](/democracy-distributed-docs/build/key-concepts.md)