International Accounting Standard Setting and Geopolitics

This paper reflects on relations between geopolitics and international accounting standard setting in the context of a commonly noted ‘return of geopolitics’. By discussing how selected episodes of the international political setting have impinged on the work of the IASC and the IASB, I attempt to demonstrate that geopolitics is a relevant angle on international accounting standard setting even though many aspects of IFRS can be adequately understood without references to geopolitics. I propose a simple framework to distinguish between symbolical and substantial relations between geopolitics and international accounting standard setting, as well as technical aspects where such a relation is absent. I call for further development of the conceptual toolbox required to analyze the relationship between international accounting standard setting and geopolitics, as well as for more empirical work on the historical and current configurations of this relationship.