ABSTRACT
Quangos are organizations created, largely funded, overseen by, and accountable to government, but given some degree of programmatic and operational independence. Coined by Alan Pifer, then President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the term describes such organizations appearing in the USA, such as the National Science Foundation, and organizations originating during the Great Society era of the 1960s. In the UK and Europe, the term has been applied to many forms of arms-length publicprovision entities with diverse purposes, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and some German television networks. Critics point to concerns about power being devolved from elected public bodies to unelected quango representatives, raising legitimacy problems and fear of technocratic dominance amidst a growing democratic deficit.
