Globalization and the accountancy profession in developing countries. An examination of the historical developmemt of the Indonesian accountancy profession (1954-2008).

Abstract

Studies on the development of the accountancy profession in the ex-colony countries have recently adopted theoretical and methodological frameworks that linked such development with the socio-historical context of these countries as former colonies or dependants of the more developed countries. More specifically, they associate the emergence and development of the accountancy profession in these countries with the historical and contemporary global expansion of capitalism.

However, there is still a need for further research. First, how global expansion of capitalism penetrates is different across different country settings. Hence, this process would be best understood by incorporating the socio-political, economic and historical specificity of the given country. Second, previous studies emphasize the internal dialectic contradictions of capitalism in analysing the changes and dynamics of the profession in ex-colony countries. Recent literature, however, has introduced methodologies that recognize the need to acknowledge the existence of any rivalling structures as possible external sources of the dialectic progress of capitalist expansion. In regard to this, the socio-political and historical context of Indonesia may offer a case of how the interactions between global expansion of capitalism and existing rivalling structures may shape the development of the accountancy profession. The need for further research is amplified by the fact that previous studies on the Indonesian accountancy profession have generally ignored the influence of these wider socio-political factors.

The primary aim of this study is thus to investigate how the accountancy profession has emerged and developed in Indonesia over the last five decades. To achieve its objectives, this research draws insights from the tradition of the globalization theory as a critique to global expansion of capitalism and Robert Cox historical structure methodology. The central argument of this thesis is that the development of the Indonesian accountancy profession followed the changes in the country¿s system of political economy, which in turn has been heavily influenced by the relationship between ex-colony countries with their former colonizers within the context of the capitalistic world order. In other words, this study accepts the contention that the spread of the Western-style accountancy profession across the globe, including Indonesia, was the consequence of global expansion of capitalism. However, the working and the extent of such influence is also shaped by alternative social structure(s) existing at the global level and/or emanating from the complexities of the Indonesian historical and societal context.

To substantiate this argument, the study uses document analysis to understand the development of the Indonesian accountancy profession during the three main periods in its history. In the first period (1954 ¿ 1966), the analysis shows that the Westernization of the accounting profession was compromised by Indonesian nationalism, ideological division amongst the Indonesian leaders and the Cold War. In the second period (1967 ¿ 1997), the process was compromised by the oligarchic capitalism of the New Order political regime. The Westernization of the profession could only reach full speed after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which has undermined the politico-business coalitions under the New Order that had prevented Indonesia from fully integrating into the global capitalist economic order.