Self-accountability and leadership: ¿The emergence of a new notion of professional competencies in economic sciences?

Abstract

This article presents a systematic literature review on specific professional competencies in Economics (including Business Administration and Accounting), with an emphasis on the relevance of training and its relationship to social and labor needs. Scopus and Web of Science were consulted using defined selection criteria (recent publication period, research articles, English and Spanish languages, and open access availability), following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A categorical selection was then developed using human saturation analysis, following grounded theory. A total of 44 studies were analyzed. The literature shows an implicit tendency to enumerate formal aspects of a technical nature, skills, and competencies, but also reveals a saturable interpretation that the process depends on the student's agency, understood as leadership and accountability. This suggests a potential discussion about how the notion of "competence" is constructed within pedagogical knowledge and its limitations in the dynamic context of the global economy. It is concluded that curriculum updating and the strengthening of active, psycho-social methodologies favor quality and professional relevance, so new attention should be paid to the emerging debate.