IRSPM Conference 2025

The PSAAG organized its Special Interest Group (SIG) Panel on Accounting and Accountability at the IRSPM Conference 2025 in Bologna, 7–9 April 2025 around the theme “Accounting and Accountability as Catalysts for Change: Advancing Civic Engagement, Social Equity and Sustainability in Public Services.”

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This year’s SIG panel—our community’s central gathering at IRSPM—was our largest and most diverse to date. With 13 sessions and 50 presentations, we explored how accounting and accountability practices can not only measure performance but also shape trust, equity, sustainability, and resilience in public services.

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The panel’s sub-themes spurred stimulating debate and cross-fertilization of ideas. Presentations ranged across:

• transparency, trust, and civic engagement in public services,

• the voices of marginalized and vulnerable communities,

• sustainability accounting and reporting in the face of environmental and social risks,

• the resilience of public services under conditions of crisis, and

• the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation and AI in accountability practices.

 

Throughout the sessions, presenters and participants engaged in open, lively exchanges, interrogating how accounting can contribute to more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable futures. We are grateful to all presenters, discussants, and attendees for the energy, curiosity, and critical engagement you brought to Bologna. It is this commitment that makes our panel a true community and not just a series of sessions.

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The panel was chaired by Iris Saliterer (University of Freiburg, Germany, corresponding chair), Deborah Agostino (Politecnico di Milano, Italy), Andre Lino (Essex Business School, UK), David Matkin (Brigham Young University, USA), Tobias Polzer (WU Vienna, Austria), Katarzyna Sienkiewicz-Małyjurek (Silesian University of Technology, Poland), Ileana Steccolini (University of Bologna, Italy), and Hanyu Xiao (The Education University of Hong Kong).

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And of course, as every year, the informal SIG dinner was a highlight—a chance to step away from conference rooms, share a meal, and continue conversations in a more relaxed setting. These moments of collegiality and friendship are what keep our community vibrant and forward-looking.​

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