Francesca Cappellieri, Rosa Lombardi, Michele Pizzo, Rosa Vinciguerra
{"title":"Environmental reporting in public sector organizations: A review of literature for the future paths of research","authors":"Francesca Cappellieri, Rosa Lombardi, Michele Pizzo, Rosa Vinciguerra","doi":"10.1111/faam.12411","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12411","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to determine a comprehensive resume of environmental reporting (ER) in the public sector recognizing its role in achieving the environmental sustainable development goals (SDGs). A structured literature review was conducted by content and bibliometric analysis as well as applying the analytical framework by Manes Rossi et al. (2020) to draft the state‐of‐the‐art of ER in public sector organizations and link them to the environmental SDG targets. The analysis develops insights and critical reflections on emerging research areas related to biodiversity disclosure, climate change, and carbon emission disclosure, including ER from a general perspective in the public sector and identifies future research paths that deserve in‐depth‐investigation. The originality of our study derives from the proposal of a set of renewed streams of research addressed to academics and practical communities as well as to decision‐makers and policymakers in taking urgent action to be compliant with emerging legislative issues and to be accountable toward stakeholders in preventing climate change and combating environmental impacts.","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unfolding crowd‐based accountability of a charity fund during the war","authors":"Valeriia Melnyk, Olga Iermolenko, Carolyn Cordery","doi":"10.1111/faam.12410","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12410","url":null,"abstract":"Charity organizations’ accountability is crucial for their work and existence, as these organizations depend on continuous public donations. Meeting the needs of all stakeholders places additional challenges on charities and forces them to use different ways/forms of accountability. Recently, social media (SM) has been extensively used for both charity fundraising and reporting/accountability. With few exceptions, the current literature describes this process as rather one‐sided—where charity organizations pursue their agendas without engaging with or responding to crowds accessing their SM. This research uses netnographic and interview data to investigate how public SM engagement reconfigures a charity's accountability during wartime. We utilize the case of a significant Ukrainian charity fund that gathered over USD 110 million in donations in 2022 via SM to meet the needs of that country's army as well as victims of Russia's War in Ukraine. SM enabled crowds to question and critique the fund's accountability, generating a crowd‐based accountability dialog which required the charity to respond. Consequently, the charity evolved dialogic accountability processes between the crowd, the fund and its celebrity founder, the latter playing a mediating role in the fund's dialog with the crowd. This study adds to the literature on online publics and crowd‐based accountability as dialog. A particularly significant facet of this study concerns the highly sensitized context where, despite the exigencies faced, donors’ expectations of accountability remain high. Charity organizations, other nongovernmental organizations and governments can learn from this use of SM as a crowd‐based accountability tool to enable real dialog during significant crises (in our case, Russia's War in Ukraine).","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141937929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Making sense of climate change in central government annual reports and accounts: A comparative case study between the United Kingdom and Norway","authors":"Victoria C. Edgar, Elaine Stewart","doi":"10.1111/faam.12409","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12409","url":null,"abstract":"Taking a sensemaking and accountability perspective, this paper explores how the Norwegian and the United Kingdom (UK) central governments understand climate change in the annual reports and accounts and how this shapes its accountability. Using a thematic analysis, we find that the Norwegian central government makes sense of climate change as a global problem requiring coordinated actions with shared responsibility and accountability to international agreements. In contrast, the UK central government understands climate change as a problem for individual departments and accountability to national guidelines. Sensemaking is enabled primarily in the narratives but also visually in the UK central government. Our research contributes to climate‐related and accounting research by illustrating how central government understands climate change. Theoretically, we extend the literature on sensemaking to the public sector and how sensemaking shapes accountability for climate change.","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141744814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Temitope Fagbemi, Oluwatoyin Dosumu, Rasheed Adigun, Franklin Nakpodia, Rilwan Sakariyahu
{"title":"Resilience and adaptation of third sector organizations (TSOs) during crisis situations: Insights from a West African economy","authors":"Temitope Fagbemi, Oluwatoyin Dosumu, Rasheed Adigun, Franklin Nakpodia, Rilwan Sakariyahu","doi":"10.1111/faam.12408","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12408","url":null,"abstract":"Across the globe, third sector organizations (TSOs) have long been recognized for their significant contributions to community support and sustainable development. However, their vulnerability to socioeconomic challenges, exemplified by the Covid‐19 pandemic, prompts a deeper examination. This study employs semi‐structured interviews to explore the resilience and adaptation strategies of TSOs operating in Nigeria, a West African country facing unique challenges. Findings reveal an intricate blend of traditional and innovative approaches, including strategic capabilities, digital citizenship, cultural dynamics, and community participation, employed by TSOs to navigate the uncertainties triggered by the Covid‐19 pandemic. By uncovering these less‐explored resilience dimensions, the study offers valuable insights for TSOs, policymakers, and scholars seeking to understand and enhance organizational resilience in challenging economic and social contexts.","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141549511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Drivers of sustainability reporting by local governments over time: A structured literature review","authors":"André Mol, Vera van Schie, Tjerk Budding","doi":"10.1111/faam.12407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12407","url":null,"abstract":"This paper provides an overview of the current state of the literature on sustainability reporting by local governments. It focuses on the reasons why municipalities use sustainability reporting and what contingency factors incentivize or disincentivize its implementation. The study is based on a structured literature review of 190 papers, published in journals on business, environment, and accountancy, covering a 35‐year period (1987–2021). We find that sustainability reporting by local governments can be explained from interrelated theoretical perspectives, mainly legitimacy, stakeholder, institutional, and accountability theory. The implementation of sustainability reporting is influenced by contextual factors; the main determinants are organizational and political variables. Based on the papers we reviewed, we provide policy recommendations to improve sustainability reporting in practice and make suggestions for future research.","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141549512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Local government enterprises climate action: An exploration of New Zealand container seaports’ climate‐related disclosure practices","authors":"Dimu Ehalaiye, Olayinka Moses, Fawzi Laswad, Nives Botica Redmayne","doi":"10.1111/faam.12406","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12406","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines voluntary climate‐related disclosure practices among New Zealand (NZ) container seaports, in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG13) on climate action. Using a uniquely constructed Climate Change Disclosure Index (CCDI) and interviews, it assesses disclosure practices aligned with the Task Force on Climate‐related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework. The CCDI results indicate a 20% average level of climate‐related disclosures. Governance (36%) is the leading thematic area, whereas others track behind with limited disclosures among the sampled hybrid seaport entities. Evidence from the interviews reveals financial and legitimacy considerations, stakeholders, and community expectations, including forthcoming regulations, to be motivations for climate‐related disclosures. However, technological limitations, Scope 3 measurement, and regulatory inconsistencies constrain progressive climate actions of these entities. The study emphasizes the need for adaptable approaches to climate change beyond policy mandates and contributes to our understanding of sustainability practices in public sector hybrid entities. The findings hold implications for SDG13 attainment and the development of climate‐related accounting standards.","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141549510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emanuele Padovani, Silvia Iacuzzi, Jelena Poljasevic, Simone Valle de Souza
{"title":"A multicountry analysis of local government financial vulnerability during the 2020 pandemic considering systemic factors","authors":"Emanuele Padovani, Silvia Iacuzzi, Jelena Poljasevic, Simone Valle de Souza","doi":"10.1111/faam.12403","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12403","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID‐19 pandemic cut across geographical, sectorial, and policy boundaries and imposed difficult health, economic, and social challenges. Among many learnings, after the 2007–2008 global financial crisis and the austerity period that followed it, the economic and health crises forged by the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020 offer an important experience to make local governments (LGs) more financially resilient and ready to deal with similar shocks.This paper builds on a recent framework to investigate the impact of the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic on LG financial vulnerability looking at both contingent and systemic aspects. It addresses the need for a multicountry perspective on the effects of the pandemic and responds to calls to test existing models. Seven countries were chosen to represent different administrative contexts and traditions to understand what factors impact the local level in a time of crisis. Results demonstrate that not only contingent aspects but also systemic factors and the initial level of financial vulnerability influenced the responses to the pandemic, confirming findings about the importance of initial conditions and “path dependency” by previous studies.","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141549513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: Exploring resilience in the third sector","authors":"Noel Hyndman, Irvine Lapsley, Mariannuziata Liguori","doi":"10.1111/faam.12400","DOIUrl":"10.1111/faam.12400","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This Special Issue is based on a selection of papers initially presented at the conference on “Resilience and the Third Sector” (Institute of Public Sector Accounting Research, University of Edinburgh, November 2022). The third sector is pervasive in most societies and makes a distinctive and widely-recognized contribution to the public good by building social capital, frequently affording a foundation for social cohesiveness. However, it is a fragile sector that is significantly affected by crises (the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune). These have the potential to curtail the capacity of third-sector organizations (TSOs) to deliver societal benefits and, in the most extreme cases, even threaten their survival. Given this, the resilience of TSOs (albeit this term has multiple layers and manifold meanings) is critical. This paper explores a range of connotations linked to third-sector resilience and explores contemporary evidence (including the papers in this Special Issue) as to how the sector identifies, manages, and learns from crises. In addition, it provides a brief outline research agenda as a basis for encouraging researchers to focus on resilience in TSOs and enhance knowledge. It is argued that more rigorous, evidence-based research of this nature has the potential to positively influence practice in the sector, as well as policy formulation by government and others who steer TSOs.</p>","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/faam.12400","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141270123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lotta-Maria Sinervo, Elina Vikstedt, Mika Luhtala, Harri Laihonen, Olga Welinder
{"title":"Fostering sustainability in local government: The institutional work perspective on the accounting–management nexus","authors":"Lotta-Maria Sinervo, Elina Vikstedt, Mika Luhtala, Harri Laihonen, Olga Welinder","doi":"10.1111/faam.12399","DOIUrl":"10.1111/faam.12399","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sustainability is a critical societal aim, and local governments (LGs) play an important role in fostering sustainability, as the implementation of the global aims set by the United Nations—namely, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs offer novel accounting, reporting, and management perspectives for LGs. The objective of the study is to understand the role of the accounting–management nexus which is needed to institutionalize sustainability in LG practices. We adopted an institutional work perspective to investigate how actors at the field, organizational, and suborganizational levels of LGs can foster sustainability in accounting and management. Based on interviews with managers and other representatives from the 18 largest LGs in Finland, we found that although sustainability integration is still in the early stages and there is considerable heterogeneity in LGs’ handling of sustainability issues, there is clear potential for the simultaneous deployment of different institutional work types. This has positive implications for the institutionalization of sustainability accounting and management practices in LGs, enhancing understanding of how sustainability is fostered in public sector accounting and management by focusing on organizational-level institutional work.</p>","PeriodicalId":47120,"journal":{"name":"Financial Accountability & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/faam.12399","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141273476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}