CPA_SI_R4_02_March_2021.pdf (510.79 kB)
In the spotlight: rethinking NGO accountability in the #MeToo era
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 23:23 authored by Galina GoncharenkoEmphasising the need to rethink accountability in the light of the #MeToo movement, this study examines how public discourses on sexual misconduct in the non-profit sector have transformed societal perceptions of NGO accountability. The study contributes to research debates about the underlying principles of the NGO social contract, the intellectual problematics of accountability and the role of ‘the Other’ in accountability conduct. The analysis of social media and investigations related to sexual scandals in thirteen organisations reveals how access to social media and hashtag activism in the midst of the social movement provided visibility to the cases of misconduct, gave rise to accountability forums and empowered calls to hold organisations to account. The study shows how the spotlight of public attention has gradually shifted the perception of sexual misconduct as an occasional, but inevitable, sectoral malfunction towards a widening debate over the moral basis of NGO activism and the impacts on the lives of vulnerable NGO beneficiaries. This development has then amplified the escalated demand to transform approaches to NGO accountability from pragmatic procedures of increased control and demonstrable measures of quality assurance to more reflective methods of intellectual accountability and critical self-assessment, emphasising the behavioural consciousness of accountable actors. Finally, the study reflects on how the lessons learned from the #MeToo movement impact NGOs in their capacity to exercise holistic accountability.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Critical Perspectives on AccountingISSN
1045-2354Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Article number
a102308Department affiliated with
- Accounting and Finance Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2021-03-22First Open Access (FOA) Date
2022-09-28First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2021-03-22Usage metrics
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