ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the main theoretical underpinnings of the book. It begins with a review of the two earlier generations of thinking about accountability and how they were manifested in the basic education sector. Labelled as “Accountability 1.0” and “Accountability 2.0” respectively, they are compared and contrasted on such dimensions as corresponding modes of governance, major types and relationships, and the failures that they were prone to. The chapter goes on to examine the common pitfalls behind their distinctive features in terms of whether and to what extent the means they deploy are able to fulfil such multiple purposes of accountability as control, assurance and improvement. More fundemantally, the recognition that no means shall be sufficient to meet all ends is missing. “Accountability 3.0” is then put forward to rectify the identified pitfalls through a more holistic understanding of accountability in education and the still pivotal role of governments. Guided by this understanding, the chapter further develops a model that specifies what types of policy instruments are suitable for realising different aims under varying conditions.
