Conceptual Issues in the Social Sciences: Variants of Accountability

Abstract

Conceptual issues are integral to the social sciences. However, for social science to attract continuing legitimacy, the need to reduce continually, the level of the embedded disputations, cannot be over emphasized. In addressing the surrounding issues, this contribution concentrates on the concept of accountability, by attempting to identify its variants. The paper uses the documentary research methodology to conduct its investigations, and arrive at its positions. It adopts structural functionalism as theoretical framework. It is concluded in the contribution that accountability is the adhesive that binds societal structures to functionalism. And it is accordingly imperative that social scientists whose research laboratory is the society, understand accountability in its manifold dimensions.