TY - JOUR
T1 - Epistolizing accountability: a critical exploration of INGO annual report leaders' letters
AU - Abnett, Helen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2024/1/4
Y1 - 2024/1/4
N2 - Purpose: This paper explores how INGOs communicate their activities and achievements. In doing so, the study seeks to increase our understanding of INGOs' accountability practices. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses thematic analysis to analyse 90 ‘leaders’ letters' (the letters that many charities include at the beginning of their Annual Reports and Accounts), published by 39 INGOs between 2015 and 2018. Findings: This paper argues that within the Annual Report letters under consideration, INGOs' accountability practices focus on quantitative, process-driven, output reporting. In doing so, it is the actions and agency of INGOs that are primarily emphasised. INGO constituents are largely excluded from representation. Donors are presented only as contributors of financial capital. Drawing on field theory, the paper argues that this representational practice means INGO constituents are almost irrelevant to INGOs' representational and accountability communication practices. Originality/value: This paper is indebted to previous important work and, building on such scholarship, seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversation about INGO accountability. While reinforcing some prior knowledge, the findings here also differ in the understanding of how donors are portrayed. The paper extends previous analyses by using field theory to show that the INGO field as considered here is a space in which representations of accountability are based on organisational and transactional factors, and does not value the humanity of INGOs' constituents. This connects to operations of power, between donors, INGOs, and constituents, and reinforces inequitable power within the development system.
AB - Purpose: This paper explores how INGOs communicate their activities and achievements. In doing so, the study seeks to increase our understanding of INGOs' accountability practices. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses thematic analysis to analyse 90 ‘leaders’ letters' (the letters that many charities include at the beginning of their Annual Reports and Accounts), published by 39 INGOs between 2015 and 2018. Findings: This paper argues that within the Annual Report letters under consideration, INGOs' accountability practices focus on quantitative, process-driven, output reporting. In doing so, it is the actions and agency of INGOs that are primarily emphasised. INGO constituents are largely excluded from representation. Donors are presented only as contributors of financial capital. Drawing on field theory, the paper argues that this representational practice means INGO constituents are almost irrelevant to INGOs' representational and accountability communication practices. Originality/value: This paper is indebted to previous important work and, building on such scholarship, seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversation about INGO accountability. While reinforcing some prior knowledge, the findings here also differ in the understanding of how donors are portrayed. The paper extends previous analyses by using field theory to show that the INGO field as considered here is a space in which representations of accountability are based on organisational and transactional factors, and does not value the humanity of INGOs' constituents. This connects to operations of power, between donors, INGOs, and constituents, and reinforces inequitable power within the development system.
KW - Accountability
KW - Annual reports
KW - Charity
KW - International non-government organisations
KW - Thematic analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161221321&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/AAAJ-03-2022-5715
DO - 10.1108/AAAJ-03-2022-5715
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85161221321
SN - 0951-3574
VL - 37
SP - 306
EP - 335
JO - Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
JF - Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
IS - 1
ER -