Social Responsibility “Accounts”: Understanding World Bank Lending Practices

Abstract

The demand for social responsibility accounts are not limited to corporations nor are reporting practices limited to disclosures in annual reports. Organizations such as the World Bank, with lending activities in excess of $22B yearly in at least 64 countries, exert significant influence over how social responsibility is defined and accounted for. The current study examines the provision of social responsibility accounts within the context of World Bank lending activities. Beginning from an in-depth examination of a single World Bank lending agreement in the area of basic education in Latin America as well as 40 semi-structured interviews with field participants, and a series of participant observations, we examine not only how the demand for accountability and social responsibility is satisfied via a complex of written and verbal “accounts” but also the micro-politics of such processes. This analysis highlights how the intersection between World Bank demands and existing information technologies impact on the nature of the provided written and verbal social responsibility accounts.

Citation

Neu, D. and Ocampo, E. (2007), "Social Responsibility “Accounts”: Understanding World Bank Lending Practices", Lehman, C.R. (Ed.) Envisioning a New Accountability (Advances in Public Interest Accounting, Vol. 13), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 81-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1041-7060(07)13005-4