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NGOs, civil society and accountability: making the people accountable to capital

Author

Listed:
  • Rob Gray
  • Jan Bebbington
  • David Collison

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to seek to understand and explain the non‐governmental organisation (NGO) and its location in civil society in order to provide a basis for future research work. The paper aims to explore and develop understandings of accountability specifically in the context of the NGO and then extend these insights to the accountability of all organisations. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is framed within a theoretical conception of accountability and is primarily literature‐based. In addition secondary data relating to the issues of concern are collated and synthesised. Findings - The research finds that the essence of accountability lies in the relationships between the organisation and the society and/or stakeholder groups of interest. The nature of this relationship allows us to infer much about the necessary formality and the channels of accountability. In turn, this casts a light upon taken‐for‐granted assumptions in the corporate accountability and reminds us that the essence and basis of success of the corporate world lies in its withdrawal from any form of human relationship and the consequential colonisation and oppression of civil society. Research limitations/implications - The principal implications relate to: our need to improve the analytical incisiveness of our applications of accountability theory; and the possibility of the accounting literature offering more developed insights to the NGO literature. The primary limitations lie in the paper in being: exploratory of a more developed understanding of accountability; and a novel excursion into the world of the NGO and civil society – neither of which feature greatly in the accounting literature. Practical implications - These lie in the current political struggles between civil society and capital over appropriate forms of accountability. Corporations continue to avoid allowing themselves to be held accountable whilst civil society organisations are often accountable in many different and informal ways. Ill‐considered calls from capital for more oppressive NGO accountability are typically, therefore, hypocritical and inappropriate. Originality/value - NGOs are introduced in a detailed and accessible way to the accounting literature. The concept of accountability is further developed by examination of relationships and channels in the context of the NGO and, through Rawls' notion of “closeness”, is further enriched.

Suggested Citation

  • Rob Gray & Jan Bebbington & David Collison, 2006. "NGOs, civil society and accountability: making the people accountable to capital," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 19(3), pages 319-348, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:aaajpp:09513570610670325
    DOI: 10.1108/09513570610670325
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. O'Leary, Susan & Dinh, Tami & Frueh, Seraina, 2023. "Affirmative otherness in a humanitarian NGO: Implications for accountability as responsiveness," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    2. Scobie, Matthew & Lee, Bill & Smyth, Stewart, 2023. "Grounded accountability and Indigenous self-determination," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    3. Lee, Bill & Carlisle, Liam, 2024. "Interpreting an escape from an eviction trap as a social account: A Gramscian reading of a credit union’s policies in support of social housing tenants," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    4. Catherine Iye Jimmy-Akinpitan, 2023. "Effect of Donor Funding and Internal Control on Financial Sustainability of Non-Governmental Organizations In Jos Metropolis of Plateau State," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(1), pages 1524-1555, January.
    5. Charl de Villiers & Matteo La Torre & Vida Botes, 2022. "Accounting and social capital: A review and reflections on future research opportunities," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4485-4521, December.
    6. Cavicchi, Caterina & Vagnoni, Emidia, 2023. "Digital information systems in support of accountability: The case of a welfare provision non-governmental organisation," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).
    7. Ahmed, Zahir Uddin & Hopper, Trevor & Wickramasinghe, Danture, 2023. "From Minnow to Mighty: A hegemonic analysis of social accountability in BRAC - the world’s largest development NGO," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    8. Marc Pilon & Alisher Mansurov, 2024. "Hybrid organizations: a classification within economic sectors," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-7, December.
    9. Jittima Wichianrak & Tehmina Khan & David Teh & Steven Dellaportas, 2023. "Critical Perspectives of NGOs on Voluntary Corporate Environmental Reporting: Thai Public Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-24, April.
    10. Rana, Tarek & Cordery, Carolyn J., 2024. "Digitalization as a form of marketization: The performativity of calculative practices in framing and overflowing NGO performance and accountability," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(1).
    11. Pazzi, Silvia & Svetlova, Ekaterina, 2023. "NGOs, public accountability, and critical accounting education: Making data speak," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    12. Tweedie, Dale & Luzia, Karina, 2023. "In place, with power: (Re)conceptualising accountability in national non-government organisations," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).

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