How is programme accreditation conceptualised as an instrument for accountability in the agency relationship between the national regulatory agency and the private higher education institutions in Mauritius?

Abstract

This study explores the agency relationship between the national regulatory agency for higher education and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in the context of programme accreditation. It seeks to understand the experiences and perception of HEIs and policy makers regarding the use of programme accreditation as an instrument for agency accountability. In the context of this study, agency accountability relates to the capacity and mechanisms of the regulatory agency to steer and hold HEIs accountable for the quality of their programmes. Quality assurance is deemed to be an outcome of agency accountability.

This thesis is a qualitative study primarily based on interview data. It draws from an extensive range of literature and brings together agency theory, the theory of responsive regulation, and the watchdog accountability index into a conceptual framework for agency accountability. The conceptual framework is applied to the context of higher education in Mauritius to gain an enhanced understanding of how the regulatory agency in Mauritius uses its programme accreditation function to seek accountability for quality assurance.

This study uses a constructivist lens and a combination of inductive and deductive approaches to generate empirical and conceptual insight from the data collected from private higher education institutions, policymakers, and representatives of the regulatory agency to apply and consolidate the proposed conceptual framework for agency accountability. It is argued that the capacity of the national agency to steer for quality and standards of higher education is intricately linked to the effectiveness of its regulatory mechanisms, its capacity to enforce regulations in place and the agency relationship between the regulatory body and the HEIs.

The conceptual framework for agency accountability towards quality assurance contributes to the literature on quality assurance and regulation in higher education through a rich conceptual description of the agency relationship. It is envisaged that the conceptual findings of this study will also address an important gap in the practice of meta-regulation in the field of higher education by deepening our understanding about how agency accountability can be operationalised within the agency relationship for enhanced quality assurance.

A thematic analysis of the completed data set identified 10 overarching themes which were grouped in 3 clusters pertaining to the agency relationship between the agency and the HEIs, the operational framework for agency accountability, regulations in higher education and multiple agency relationships. The major themes included agency problem within the agency HEIs relationship, shared interests between the agency and the HEIs, relational signals, multiple agency relationship, formal powers, organisational powers, the exercise of accountability powers, regulatory responsiveness, regulatory dilemma, market regulation and the capacity for HEIs to self-regulate.

The findings suggest that programme accreditation is an important mechanism through which the regulatory agency can steer for agency accountability. However, in the exercise of the agency accountability model, several factors specific to the context of Mauritius have to be considered.

Date of Award	28 Jun 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Jurgen Enders (Supervisor) & Rajani Naidoo (Supervisor)