Transparency and Accountability in Social Economy Organisations | New advanced course at Universidade Católica
"Transparency and accountability in Social Economy Organisations" is the new advanced course of the Transversal Area of Social Economy (ATES), of the Porto Regional Centre, designed within the project "Transparency in Portuguese Social Economy Organisations" (2019-2021). This new course "is a pioneer in Portugal and is a "dive" in sharing knowledge and practices of transparency and accountability", say Vanessa Marcos and Filipe Pinto, scientific coordinators of the training.
Marked by complexity and cyclical volatility, the field where Social Economy Organisations (SEOs) operate is normally combined by insufficient management practices in terms of transparency and accountability which, consequently, conditions the dialogue with certain stakeholders and limits the effectiveness of their performance. In this sense, the course seeks to respond to this adversity and thus contribute to a change of paradigm where people and the communities that are the target of the SEO's actions are placed at the centre of the dialogue, promoting greater organisational efficiency and effectiveness.
Efficient management and effective action: greater credibility of the Social Economy
According to the coordinators, the training aims to lead to "processes of change fundamental to efficient management and effective action, capable of strengthening the credibility of professionals and of the social economy sector," contributing to its legitimacy in Portugal.
In order to provide its participants with critical reflection on the most relevant issues around the debate of Transparency and Accountability, we highlight the products developed throughout the project: a Transparent Accountability mechanism and a pedagogical manual. Thus, "the participants will be enabled to develop critical thinking and to apply action plans for organisational improvement in terms of transparent accountability," add Filipe Pinto and Vanessa Marcos.
This new Advanced Course, which registrations are open until 19 January 2023, will take place once a week, on Thursdays, in sessions between 14h00 and 16h00, in e-learning mode, and is intended to take place between February and March 2023. Comprising a total of 18 teaching hours, its syllabus is distributed over nine synchronous sessions that include the "incorporation of the most recent conceptual debates, and mechanisms of analysis and practical examples".