ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of earlier and later political theorizing to help situate current emphases on accountability as a dominant logic. For Plato, governing society entailed application of notions of justice (his ostensive focus in The Republic) through enactment of the virtues of wisdom, courage, discipline and temperance. The emphasis on public accountability reflects the increasing complexity of government, and associated governance processes. Various outcomes-focused standards may also be applied, such as in relation to efficient governance, effective practice and professional conduct. The necessarily collective work of educating in schooling settings suggests that more ‘socializing’ forms of accountability hold promise for enhanced learning than more ‘hierarchical’ approaches, even as schools and schooling systems are heavily influenced by such hierarchies. The content of accountability processes is significant. An important part of the accountability agenda is the pressure to quantify.
