Microaccountability and biopolitics: Microfinance in a Sri Lankan village

Chandana Gnanapriya Alawattage; Cameron Graham; Danture Wickramasinghe

doi:10.1016/j.aos.2018.05.008

Microaccountability and biopolitics: Microfinance in a Sri Lankan village

Chandana Gnanapriya Alawattage, Cameron Graham (Corresponding Author), Danture Wickramasinghe

Accountancy & Finance, Accountancy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

47 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Based on a micro-level study of microfinance, this paper explores how basic accounting technologies and interpersonal accountability are used to make lending to poor village women profitable and low risk. We argue that “microaccountability,” our term for the structuring and formalization of convivial relationships into a capillary system of accountability, must be
recognized as a central tool of social governance under neoliberalism. Our field research in Sri Lanka allows us to analyse how microaccountability is employed by for-profit banks to create from poor villagers a legion of bankable individual entrepreneurs, trained to invigilate each other’s savings and credit behaviours. Using the theoretical lens of biopolitics, we show
how microaccountability enables the extension of the finance industry into untapped sectors of the global population.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	38-60
Number of pages	23
Journal	Accounting, Organizations and Society
Volume	72
Early online date	1 Jun 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2018.05.008
Publication status	Published - Jan 2019

Keywords

microaccountability
biopolitics
microfinance
neoliberalism
Sri Lanka

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Accepted author manuscript, 1.4 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

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abstract = "Based on a micro-level study of microfinance, this paper explores how basic accounting technologies and interpersonal accountability are used to make lending to poor village women profitable and low risk. We argue that “microaccountability,” our term for the structuring and formalization of convivial relationships into a capillary system of accountability, must berecognized as a central tool of social governance under neoliberalism. Our field research in Sri Lanka allows us to analyse how microaccountability is employed by for-profit banks to create from poor villagers a legion of bankable individual entrepreneurs, trained to invigilate each other{\textquoteright}s savings and credit behaviours. Using the theoretical lens of biopolitics, we showhow microaccountability enables the extension of the finance industry into untapped sectors of the global population.",

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author = "Alawattage, {Chandana Gnanapriya} and Cameron Graham and Danture Wickramasinghe",

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AU - Wickramasinghe, Danture

PY - 2019/1

Y1 - 2019/1

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AB - Based on a micro-level study of microfinance, this paper explores how basic accounting technologies and interpersonal accountability are used to make lending to poor village women profitable and low risk. We argue that “microaccountability,” our term for the structuring and formalization of convivial relationships into a capillary system of accountability, must berecognized as a central tool of social governance under neoliberalism. Our field research in Sri Lanka allows us to analyse how microaccountability is employed by for-profit banks to create from poor villagers a legion of bankable individual entrepreneurs, trained to invigilate each other’s savings and credit behaviours. Using the theoretical lens of biopolitics, we showhow microaccountability enables the extension of the finance industry into untapped sectors of the global population.

KW - microaccountability

KW - biopolitics

KW - microfinance

KW - neoliberalism

KW - Sri Lanka

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DO - 10.1016/j.aos.2018.05.008

M3 - Article

SN - 0361-3682

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JO - Accounting, Organizations and Society

JF - Accounting, Organizations and Society

ER -

Microaccountability and biopolitics: Microfinance in a Sri Lankan village

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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