| This study explores the politics shaping engineering accreditation in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa. Using pluralist political theory to analyze literature and relevant policy documents, this study shows important differences in the configuration of the engineering profession in different countries. These historical and organizational configurations shape the extent to which policy changes are centralized or decentralized, and influence the extent to which accreditation supports social closure for the profession. This ultimately shows the importance of analyzing local political factors that affect the implementation of international accreditation policies such as the Washington Accord. The findings lay the groundwork for future empirical studies to investigate the complex implementation dynamics at an institutional level in different national contexts, including the intermediary role of faculty networks and engineering education societies. |
