Abstract:
Compared to the well-established tradition of accreditation in the United States, public universities in many countries have typically operated in a very autonomous manner. In the francophone countries of Africa, for example, institutions enjoy full independence in the selection (election) of their leaders and complete management autonomy. They do not have to answer for their inefficient performance. In several Latin American countries, the constitution entitles public universities to a fixed percentage of the annual budget that they are free to use without accountability. Some countries do not even have a government ministry or agency responsible for steering or supervising the tertiary education sector.

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The growing accountability agenda: progress or mixed blessing