A Study in Accountability of Clubhouses in Japan, UK, and Italy

Abstract

Many International Clubhouses are dependent on the state financially; this can potentially undermine their accountability to International Clubhouse Standards, and ultimately to members. Dependence on government funding can compromise Clubhouse autonomy and staff can end up elevating financial and regulatory accountability over member accountability. In order to shed light on how dependence on government affects accountability to members, Clubhouse affiliates in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy were investigated in a 2-year project funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This study found out that reactions to accountability in Clubhouses vary according to the different kinds of staff. In the United Kingdom and Italy, where staff feel aligned with members (sympathetic staff), staff felt more of a conflict with government standards but also felt less of a need to institutionalize accountability to members. In contrast, it was found that in Japan—where staff had a professional orientation and were more concerned with the community or society at large—staff did not feel a conflict with government standards but they also elevated accountability to the community rather than accountability to members. *This research was supported by a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.