The Unaccountability Machine

When leaders understand how responsibility gets lost in big systems, they can design organizations where accountability and common sense don’t disappear into the void.

Large organizations often seem incapable of making logical, ethical, or even functional decisions. Rules replace judgment, accountability dissolves in layers of bureaucracy, and systems appear to run themselves—often to disastrous effect.

This book unpacks why that happens and offers insights into fixing the structural flaws that let bad decisions go unchallenged.

Impact & Outcome

• Understand why large institutions make baffling decisions.

• Recognize how bureaucratic structures shield decision-makers from responsibility.

• Learn strategies to redesign systems that serve people rather than process alone.
  

Who is it for

• Business leaders and executives looking to prevent bureaucratic inertia and promote accountability.

• Policy makers and public sector professionals aiming to build systems that prioritize adaptability over rigid procedures.

• Anyone frustrated by large institutions who wants to understand why they operate the way they do—and how they might be improved.
  

The Author
Dan Davies is a British economist, writer, and former investment analyst known for his expertise in banking, finance, and fraud. He is also the author of Lying for Money, a widely praised examination of financial crime. His work frequently explores how institutional structures shape economic and political outcomes.

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Key Ideas

1. How Big Systems Lose Accountability

Complex institutions often create environments where nobody takes responsibility—even when outcomes are clearly harmful.