A Critique on the Concept of Social Accountability in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper attempts to present a critique of the concept and meaning of the term social accountability at university level from a critical point of view. The main objective is to analyze and re-build the term accountability in order to contextualize it for public universities. First, we present the importance of the idea of accountability in universities as a way of being and acting. Then, a comprehensive literature review is presented referring to the term University Social Responsibility (USR, hereafter) using the economic thinking of Milton Friedman and Edward Freeman. Subsequently, we look at the meaning of USR within the framework of higher education. Finally, we conclude that it is necessary to rethink the idea of university accountability as opposed to the current policy of USR affecting the policies implemented for public universities.

The Ecuadorian Microbiome Project: a plea to strengthen microbial genomic research

“…Bioliteracy is a term originally coined by Daniel Janzen to express his concern for the accelerated decline of humanity's knowledge and attention for biodiversity, especially circumscribed to the Barcoding of Life Initiative [11,12]. Janzen's proposal has been used to denounce our ignorance of nature, in that we only have cataloged a small proportion of the species on Earth [13]. However, some have challenged Janzen's proposal that the public is "bioilliterate" [13]; particularly from the point of view of the social sciences that propose non-technological forms in which nature and society establish cultural connections [14].…”

“…Janzen's proposal has been used to denounce our ignorance of nature, in that we only have cataloged a small proportion of the species on Earth [13]. However, some have challenged Janzen's proposal that the public is "bioilliterate" [13]; particularly from the point of view of the social sciences that propose non-technological forms in which nature and society establish cultural connections [14]. Within the discussion of technological innovation, Enriquez and Martinez [15] have elaborated on the concept of bioliteracy, to stress the importance of understanding and using the molecular resources of biodiversity for new forms of biocapital.…”