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Rendering death and destruction visible: Counting the costs of war

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  • Chwastiak, Michele

Abstract

This paper examines what costs are included and which are excluded from a war budget and why it is in the best interests of the U.S. political elite to under-cost warfare. It provides a social accounting for war that goes beyond the economic by documenting the human and social consequences of conflict. In so doing, it demonstrates the potential of social reporting for emancipation. If the U.S. government was required to disclose the social and human costs of a war, the horror would be revealed, making it difficult to rationalize violence as a means to an end.

Suggested Citation

  • Chwastiak, Michele, 2008. "Rendering death and destruction visible: Counting the costs of war," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 573-590.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:19:y:2008:i:5:p:573-590
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2007.01.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Linda Bilmes & Joseph Stiglitz, 2006. "The Economic Costs of the Iraq War: An Appraisal Three Years After the Beginning of the Conflict," NBER Working Papers 12054, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. William D. Nordhaus, 2002. "The Economic Consequences of a War with Iraq," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1387, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    3. Gray, Rob, 2002. "The social accounting project and Accounting Organizations and Society Privileging engagement, imaginings, new accountings and pragmatism over critique?," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 687-708, October.
    4. William D. Nordhaus, 2002. "The Economic Consequences of a War in Iraq," NBER Working Papers 9361, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Christensen, Mark & Newberry, Susan & Potter, Bradley N., 2019. "Enabling global accounting change: Epistemic communities and the creation of a ‘more business-like’ public sector," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 53-76.
    2. Chwastiak, Michele, 2013. "Profiting from destruction: The Iraq reconstruction, auditing and the management of fraud," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 32-43.
    3. Everett, Jeff & Friesen, Constance, 2010. "Humanitarian accountability and performance in the Théâtre de l’Absurde," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 468-485.
    4. Lehman, Glen, 2010. "Perspectives on accounting, commonalities & the public sphere," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 21(8), pages 724-738.
    5. McBride, Karen, 2021. "A French connection; paths to a ‘new system’ of accounting for the Royal Navy in 1832," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(2).
    6. Jonida Carungu & Nicola Paolicelli, 2018. "L?intervento della Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena e il contributo del book-keeping nel "render conto" sulla gestione del terremoto del 1798," CONTABILIT? E CULTURA AZIENDALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(2), pages 85-117.
    7. Yu, Ai, 2021. "Accountability as mourning: Accounting for death in the time of COVID-19," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    8. Lehman, Glen, 2017. "The language of environmental and social accounting research: The expression of beauty and truth," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 30-41.
    9. Harney, Stefano & Dunne, Stephen, 2013. "More than nothing? Accounting, business, and management studies, and the research audit," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 338-349.
    10. Chwastiak, Michele, 2015. "Commodifying state crime: Accounting and “extraordinary rendition”," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-12.
    11. Miley, Frances & Read, Andrew, 2021. "Soldiers don't go mad: Shell shock and accounting intransigence in the British Army 1914-18," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(2).
    12. Cooper, Christine & Catchpowle, Lesley, 2009. "US imperialism in action," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 716-734.
    13. Dillard, Jesse & Vinnari, Eija, 2017. "A case study of critique: Critical perspectives on critical accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 88-109.

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