BEYOND METRICS: CONCEPTUALIZING ACCOUNTABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGH THE LENS OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND PUBLIC GOOD

Abstract

Accountability regimes in higher education have become dominated by narrow, quantifiable performance metrics: graduation rates, research income, citation counts, employability scores, and league-table positions. While metrics have clarified some institutional activities, they have also displaced richer, normative understandings of what universities owe society. This seminar paper argues that accountability should be reconceptualized through the twin lenses of social responsibility and public good. Drawing on policy and higher-education scholarship, the paper (1) reviews the evolution and limits of metrics-driven accountability; (2) maps conceptual frameworks of social responsibility and public/civic purpose in higher education; (3) proposes an expanded accountability model that blends quantitative performance data with reflexive, participatory, and impact-oriented evidence; and (4) discusses governance and practical implications for institutions and policymakers. The paper concludes with recommendations for moving from performance measurement toward democratic, socially embedded accountability that restores higher education’s civic role.