The vast literature on accountability in the public sector (usually called ‘public accountability’originating from political science and public administration tends to emphasize the positive dimension of holding authorities to account. As formulated by one prominent scholar in the field, ‘[a]ccountability has become an icon for good governance’: it is perceived as ‘a Good Thing, and, so it seems, we can’t have enough of it’ (Bovens, 2005: 182, 183). Accountability has, thus, become one of the central values of democratic rule – varying on a well-known American slogan one could phrase this as ‘no public responsi bility without accountability’.
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This article takes the 3rd Global Survey Report of the International Association of Universities (IAU) as a starting point. The results of this worldwide survey were published in September 2010. The article discusses four questions from the survey that include internationalisation at Home (IaH) and internationalisation of the curriculum as response items. outcomes of these four questions are commented on and, where relevant and possible, compared to the results of the previous survey, which was conducted in 2005 and published in 2006. It is argued that the sections of the Global Survey that mention internationalisation of the curriculum and IaH use terminology that is not always adequate for the purpose and at times even seems contradictory. The Global Survey includes a question on internal obstacles to internationalisation, which will also be discussed here. These obstacles include the lack of engagement and limited expertise of academic staff in relation to the internationalisation process. The response items for this question do not connect these obstacles to internationalisation of the curriculum explicitly, but it is argued here that a relationship indeed exists. The same is true for issues around foreign language proficiency, which may have a strong impact on internationalisation of the home curriculum. In the conclusion, several additional questions are raised that could serve to get a clearer picture of the development of internationalisation of the curriculum in a global perspective.
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Ontwikkelingssamenwerking is een gebied dat sterk in beweging is. Veranderingen in financiering door de Nederlandse overheid van ontwikkelingssamenwerking (Schulpen et al., 2018) en de opkomst van digitale digitale technologieën en daarmee de toename van mobiele telefonie, sociale media, internetgebruik in ‘de landen van de ontwikkelingssamenwerkingsprojecten, big data, fintech, online surveillance en censuur hebben de ontwikkelingssamenwerkingsorganisaties opgeschud en zelfs in een stroomversnelling gebracht. Maatschappelijke organisaties actief in ontwikkelingssamenwerking onderkennen de mogelijkheden die digitalisering hen biedt maar ervaren de gevolgen van deze digitale transformatie tegelijkertijd als complex, onzeker en onduidelijk in impact in ontwikkelingssamenwerking (Haikin & Flatters, 2017; Partos & The Spindle, 2018; Mitchell et al., 2020). In afstemming met mantelorganisaties actief in ontwikkelingssamenwerking beoogt dit project een antwoord te geven op de vraag hoe maatschappelijke organisaties digitale transformatie kunnen managen in de context van ontwikkelingssamenwerking met als doel om diverse Sustainable Development Goals te behalen De onderzoeksopzet is ingebed in de reeds opgedane theoretische kennis en onderzoekslijnen van het lectoraat Procesinnovatie en Informatiesystemen over de relatie van e-Leadership, IT Capabilities met Digitale Transformatie (Ravesteijn & Ongena, 2019), en breidt de kennis uit op het vlak van maatschappelijke organisaties actief in ontwikkelingssamenwerking, waar de dynamiek van geografisch wijd verspreide stakeholders en verschillende niveaus van digitale ontwikkelingen van organisaties zowel vanuit de praktijk als vanuit een academisch perspectief een interessante onderzoekdimensie opleveren. Voortbordurend op inzichten vanuit het promotieonderzoek van de kandidaat over hoe de organisaties sociale media inzetten voor ontwikkelingssamenwerkingsdoelen (Sheombar, 2019b; Sheombar et al., 2021), alsmede het onderzoekslijnen van het lectoraat is op basis van de systeembenadering van een socio-technische lens op digitale transformatie de onderzoeksvraag als volgt geformuleerd. hoe managen maatschappelijke organisaties digitale transformatie door socio-technische systemen in de context van meervoudige waardecreatie in ontwikkelingssamenwerking? Het project resulteert in ontwikkelde instrumenten en trainingsmateriaal voor de ontwikkelingssamenwerkingsorganisaties voor omgaan met digital transformatie.
A major challenge in the textile sector is achieving true circularity while preventing fraud, including false sustainability claims and material mislabelling. The complexity of supply chains and outdated certification systems have resulted in a lack of accountability and transparency. This project addresses these issues by developing and implementing Digital Product Passports, integrated with digital trust mechanisms as verifiable credentials, to create a transparent, responsible, and accountable textile supply chain. The project traces the journey of a corporate fashion t-shirt from cotton sourcing in India to production and distribution in the Netherlands, ensuring full transparency and traceability. Its goal is to drive a shift towards a circular economy by fostering collaboration across the supply chain and empowering stakeholders, particularly Tiers 3 and 4 in the Global South. Schijvens Corporate Fashion leads the effort with regenerative cotton sourcing through Raddis®Cotton, utilising Aware™’s technology solution. Adopting a ‘Fibre-Forward’ approach, the consortium ensures traceability by integrating data from raw material sourcing to end-user. This approach benefits all stakeholders, from farmers to garment producers, by providing verifiable information on fibre origins, social conditions, and ecological impacts. By tracking each fibre and collecting direct data, the project removes the opacity that can undermine sustainability claims. The project enhances accountability and sustainability compliance by utilising decentralised technologies for product verification. Integrating digital identity wallets for individuals and organisations, secured with verifiable credentials, enhances trust and accountability, fostering circular economy practices. Rather than seeing DPPs as the end goal, the project views them as catalysts for systemic change. It prioritises continuous improvement, collaboration, and shared benefits, aiming to establish a regenerative circular economy. Through a practical toolkit, the project will help organisations and policymakers navigate DPP adoption, strengthening transparency and creating a scalable, inclusive system for supply chains across the Global South and -North.
