ACCOUNTABILITY, GOVERNANCE AND REGULATION - 1

As the introductory course of the Accounting and Finance Master's Degree Programme, the first module of Accountability Governance and Regulation provides students with competencies and skills related to accounting as a political practice and prepares students for professional roles in the broad field of regulation.

Students will learn that accounting practices are more than a collection of routine techniques but are shaped by their institutional contexts, have governance consequences and can represent different values.

To take full advantage of the learning experience proposed in this course students are expected to have advanced knowledge of management and accounting. A keen interest for political aspects such as collective goals, common goods, and negotiation will facilitate the understanding of some key discussions proposed during the lectures and in the required materials. Some familiarity with the fundamentals of political processes would also be convenient.

This first module of a 12-credit course provides students with an advanced understanding of the changing role of accounting in the governance of organisations and societies. The relationship between accountability, governance and regulation is presented as the mechanism by which organisations and individuals are invited to become more transparent. The module integrates in a unified framework the accounting aspects, governance dimensions and management considerations. The module will focus on how efforts to design internal and external accounting practices for groups of firms and societies are both a function of specific financial interests but are also shaped by economic, social and political aspirations.
The key contents of the course include:
The growth of “Regulatory Governance”;
Focus on “Accountability” as the main tool for regulatory governance;
The presence and role of public and private “Regulatory actors”;
Traditional and innovative tools and processes of accountability;
The specific domain of accounting regulation.

Required readings

Bovens (2007) “New Forms of Accountability and EU Governance” Comparative European Politics, 2007, 5, (104–120)
Christensen, T. and P. Lægreid (2006), “Agencification and Regulatory Reforms”, in T. Christensen and P. Lægreid (eds.), Autonomy and Regulation. Coping with Agencies in the Modern State, Edward Elgar
David Levi-Faur (2011) “Regulatory networks and regulatory agencification: towards a Single European Regulatory Space”, Journal of European Public Policy,
Botzem, S. (2014), “Transnational standard setting in accounting: organizing expertise-based self-regulation in times of crises”, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 933-955.
James Perry & Andreas Nölke (2006) “The political economy of International Accounting Standards”, Review of International Political Economy
Dorn N. (2014), “Financial Markets and Regulatory Accountability: Between Technocratic Autonomy and Democratic Direction”, in Accountability and Regulatory Governance. Audiences, Controls and Responsibilities in the Politics of Regulation, Palgrave
Mary Canning, Brendan O’Dwyer, (2013), “The dynamics of a regulatory space realignment: Strategic responses in a local context”, In Accounting, Organizations and Society, Volume 38, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 169-194
Laura F. Spira & Michael Page (2010) “Regulation by disclosure: the case of internal control”, Journal of Management and Governance
De Luca F. & Prather‐Kinsey J. (2018) “Legitimacy theory may explain the failure of global adoption of IFRS: the case of Europe and the U.S.”, Journal of Management and Governance
Lai et al., (2018) “Integrated reporting and narrative accountability: the role of preparers”, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal Vol. 31 No. 5,
Andon P. et al., (2015), Accounting for Stakeholders and Making Accounting Useful Journal of Management Studies 52:7

The course does not provide a standard textbook. Students will have to study a dozen of articles from academic books and journals. Students need to adopt a more thoughtful and reflective attitude in studying for the exam. The assessment is conducted with a written exam (3 essay questions). The Grade in Module in module 1 of AGR averages with the one of module 2 and both grades have to be positive in the same exam session to pass the exam.

The course is deliberately designed for students who wish to actively engage in a conversation with the professor and their peers. Class participation is therefore taken for granted as a key element of the learning pact that is implicitly signed by enrolling in the course. Students who expect to sit, listen, record notes and be infused with expert knowledge are possibly not the ideal participants in the type of learning experience we want to generate in this course. The professor will of course cover the topics discussed and analysed in the required readings but the views (written and spoken) of students will form an integral part of the teaching method.

English

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Circular economy, innovation, work" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development