The Accounting, Governance and Sustainability (AGS) Research Group at the School of Finance and Accounting, Westminster Business School, hosted a research seminar titled “How Accounting Shapes Member Control and Participation in UK Co-operatives.” The seminar was delivered by Dr Elisavet Mantzari, Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Birmingham.
Dr Mantzari’s research focuses on co-operative and critical accounting, financial reporting, governance and accountability. She is Chair of the UK Society for Co-operative Studies and serves on committees within the British Accounting and Finance Association and the European Accounting Association.
The seminar examined how accounting and reporting practices shape governance, accountability and member participation within UK co-operatives. Unlike investor-owned firms, co-operatives organise ownership, surplus and decision-making around collective benefit and democratic member control.
Drawing on research and engagement with UK co-operatives, Dr Mantzari explored the tensions that can arise when organisations with democratic and social purposes operate within reporting frameworks based largely on investor-oriented assumptions. The presentation considered how accounting practices influence which organisational values and interests become visible and how members participate in governance.
Particular attention was given to whether conventional financial reporting adequately reflects collective ownership, member benefit and social purpose, and how alternative approaches could better support co-operative identity, accountability and democratic participation.
The seminar was attended by 31 colleagues and doctoral researchers representing the University of Westminster, Westminster International University in Tashkent, the University of Birmingham, Aston University and Kingston University.
The session generated engaging discussion on the limitations of investor-oriented reporting frameworks and the potential for accounting practices to strengthen member control and participation within the co-operative sector.
Overall, the seminar provided valuable insights into the relationship between accounting, governance and democratic participation, with important implications for researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in the future development of UK co-operatives.
