TY - JOUR
T1 - Accounts of nature and the nature of accounts
T2 - Critical reflections on environmental accounting and propositions for ecologically informed accounting
AU - Russell, Shona
AU - Milne, Markus J.
AU - Dey, Colin
N1 - Funding Information:
13. These impact bonds differ from the more “conventional” green and climate bonds issued by large financial institutions and corporations (Climate Bonds Initiative, 2016) in that they are better understood as a form of “payment by results”, in which investors provide upfront funding for a project, with the initial investment plus a further return being repaid to them if a set of pre-defined outcome targets are met by the service provider.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise academic research in environmental accounting and demonstrate its shortcomings. It provokes scholars to rethink their conceptions of “accounts” and “nature”, and alongside others in this AAAJ special issue, provides the basis for an agenda for theoretical and empirical research that begins to “ecologise” accounting. Design/methodology/approach: Utilising a wide range of thought from accounting, geography, sociology, political ecology, nature writing and social activism, the paper provides an analysis and critique of key themes associated with 40 years research in environmental accounting. It then considers how that broad base of work in social science, particularly pragmatic sociology (e.g. Latour, Boltanksi and Thévenot), could contribute to reimagining an ecologically informed accounting.Findings: Environmental accounting research overwhelmingly focuses on economic entities and their inputs and outputs. Conceptually, an “information throughput” model dominates. There is little or no environment in environmental accounting, and certainly no ecology. The papers in this AAAJ special issue contribute to these themes, and alongside social science literature, indicate significant opportunities for research to begin to overcome them. Research limitations/implications: This paper outlines and encourages the advancement of ecological accounts and accountabilities drawing on conceptual resources across social sciences, arts and humanities. It identifies areas for research to develop its interdisciplinary potential to contribute to ecological sustainability and social justice. Originality/value: How to “ecologise” accounting and conceptualise human and non-human entities has received little attention in accounting research. This paper and AAAJ special issue provides empirical, practical and theoretical material to advance further work.
AB - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise academic research in environmental accounting and demonstrate its shortcomings. It provokes scholars to rethink their conceptions of “accounts” and “nature”, and alongside others in this AAAJ special issue, provides the basis for an agenda for theoretical and empirical research that begins to “ecologise” accounting. Design/methodology/approach: Utilising a wide range of thought from accounting, geography, sociology, political ecology, nature writing and social activism, the paper provides an analysis and critique of key themes associated with 40 years research in environmental accounting. It then considers how that broad base of work in social science, particularly pragmatic sociology (e.g. Latour, Boltanksi and Thévenot), could contribute to reimagining an ecologically informed accounting.Findings: Environmental accounting research overwhelmingly focuses on economic entities and their inputs and outputs. Conceptually, an “information throughput” model dominates. There is little or no environment in environmental accounting, and certainly no ecology. The papers in this AAAJ special issue contribute to these themes, and alongside social science literature, indicate significant opportunities for research to begin to overcome them. Research limitations/implications: This paper outlines and encourages the advancement of ecological accounts and accountabilities drawing on conceptual resources across social sciences, arts and humanities. It identifies areas for research to develop its interdisciplinary potential to contribute to ecological sustainability and social justice. Originality/value: How to “ecologise” accounting and conceptualise human and non-human entities has received little attention in accounting research. This paper and AAAJ special issue provides empirical, practical and theoretical material to advance further work.
KW - Ecological accounts
KW - Environmental accounting
KW - Nature
KW - Pluralism
KW - Sustainability
KW - “Orders of worth” and pragmatic sociology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029681973&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/AAAJ-07-2017-3010
DO - 10.1108/AAAJ-07-2017-3010
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85029681973
SN - 0951-3574
VL - 30
SP - 1426
EP - 1458
JO - Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
JF - Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
IS - 7
ER -