Political Economy of Accounting in Intellectual Capital Reporting

Abstract

Several factors shaping intellectual capital reporting (ICR) in the context of the political economy of accounting (PEA) theory were discussed in relation to traditional accounting reporting system, intellectual capital and intellectual reporting definitions, techniques employed to report intellectual capital (IC), and theoretical classification of IC. Reporting intellectual capital enables firms to report them in a fashion that best suits the relationship between the firm and their political, economic, and social arrangement. The unregulated reporting can increase manipulation of ICR in a borderless reporting environment to reduce the tension between the firm and its political, social, and economic arrangement.

Keywords: intellectual capital, intellectual capital reporting, political economy of accounting