New accounting journal focused on sustainability connects academia with practitioners

A new academic journal, launched by the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE), seeks to spark conversations between practitioners and academia on the critical issues of sustainability.

The founding editors of Accountability in a Sustainable World Quarterly recognized the immediate need for dialogue among academics and practitioners about sustainability, accountability, data and measurement, related assurance, high quality information to inform responsible investment decisions, and accountability in setting personal, corporate and public sector goals. The journal’s platform features articles contributed by academics and practitioners with the intended readership comprising both groups.

“The key to the journal’s approach is collaborative conversations and the delivery of rigorous academic research in a format easily understood by a wide variety of individuals,” said Peter Easton, the academic director of CARE, which is located within the Mendoza College of Business. “We bring together academics, accountants, finance professionals, lawyers, lawmakers, economists and scientists with the idea that getting them together to discuss these critical topics is the only way to ensure that what truly matters is being measured appropriately.”

The publication’s goals are to build and strengthen the links between academia (both teaching and research) and practice, encourage younger academics by providing an opportunity to publish their findings and present their work to both other academics and practitioners, and  allow practitioners to communicate with academics and influence their work. The journal is cross-disciplinary, with a focus on measurement, assurance of the measurements, and use of the measures in the broadest sense. Articles are short and written by academics and practitioners with the intended readership comprising both groups.

The most important features of published papers will be topics related to climate change, ESG (environmental, social, governance), corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability reporting, provided that:

• The findings are of interest to and useful for accounting, business and investment practitioners.
• The findings have inference and application to audiences related to accounting, business and investment management beyond a particular region or sector.
• The exposition is not excessively theoretical or technical.
• The arguments incorporate practical considerations, such as implementation, relevance to regulators and standard setters, implications for preparers, auditors and users of reports and so on.

Peter Easton

“These collaborative conversations will ensure academic research that is relevant to companies, regulators and standard setters,” said Easton, who is also the Notre Dame Alumni Professor of Accountancy. “It will catalyze rigorous research, which will provide evidence for the development of useful, meaningful metrics. It will also help accountants and finance professionals know the right questions to ask when they scrutinize ESG metrics.”

The inaugural Accountability in a Sustainable World Quarterly includes articles addressing a wide range of topics such as “ESG Ratings and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” “The SEC’s Perspective on Climate Disclosure” and research findings on impact investing, E-liability accounting, and the Impact Weighted Accounts Project. It can be viewed free of charge online.

Each edition, which includes 15 to 20 articles, is distributed to subscribers via email containing the link to the journal’s digital platform. Subscriptions can be purchased for $99 USD per year. Visit the subscription website to sign up.

In addition to Easton, founding editors include Jan Bouwens, Professor of Accounting and Chair of the Accounting Department at the University of Amsterdam; W. Robert Knechel, Frederick E. Fisher Eminent Scholar and Director of the International Accounting and Auditing Center at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business; and Shiva Rajgopal, Roy Bernard Kester and T.W. Byrnes Professor of Accounting and Auditing at Columbia Business School.

For more information about Accountability in a Sustainable World Quarterly, email asw@nd.edu.