The Neoliberal Genesis of IFAC: Professionalization, Legitimacy, and Institutional Memory
Name: BRISCIA OLIVEIRA PRATES RIGONI
Publication date: 29/09/2025
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| ANGELICA DE VASCONCELOS SILVA SCHRODER | Coorientador |
| DANIEL PEREIRA ANDRADE | Examinador Externo |
| ELOISIO MOULIN DE SOUZA | Examinador Interno |
| GUSTAVO MELO SILVA | Examinador Externo |
| RAFAEL DE LACERDA MOREIRA | Examinador Externo |
Pages
Summary: This study originated from concern about how historical processes, actor networks, and
discourses mobilised in the years before 1977 contributed to the creation of the International
Federation of Accountants (IFAC) as an expression of a new neoliberal rationality in the
international accounting field. To address this question, the research aimed to identify how the
origins of IFAC's formation are linked to the spread of neoliberalism within accounting
institutions. The theoretical framework was based on discussions of neoliberalism and its
origins, from the perspectives of Peck (2010) and Slobodian (2021); theories of
professionalisation as strategic projects of collective mobilisation, as proposed by Larson
(1977), Macdonald (1984, 1995), and Walker (1991, 1995, 2004); and on how history is
produced and institutional memory constructed through the exercise of power that silences
conflicts, based on Trouillot’s (1995) perspective. The methodological approach was grounded
in the epistemology of the Nouvelle Histoire (Bloch, 2002; Burke, 2012), aiming to construct a
counter-narrative about IFAC’s genesis. For this purpose, it drew on concepts from
microhistory to analyse the connections among individuals in that context, the power relations
at play, and how all these elements were concretely articulated, seeking to reveal the tensions
and contradictions of the global accounting governance process, often hidden by a neutral and
technicist narrative. The results revealed the conflicts of interest surrounding the formation of
this organisation, as well as the presence of private interests, mainly those of the large auditing
firms, which captured the normative space of accounting to produce a consensus that served
their own agendas. Thus, it was possible to demonstrate how the creation of IFAC was a product
of neoliberal rationality, which, through this institution, sought to align accounting standards
with international market interests. It also became evident how this rationality was reproduced
uncritically by a historical narrative that silenced asymmetries and power struggles, presenting
the process as apolitical, neutral, and technical, even portraying these as intrinsic characteristics
of accounting itself. In this way, historical critique proved capable of exposing what appears
natural and universal, revealing how certain institutions become centres of power through the
silencing of alternatives and the power relations that structure contemporary society.
