Accounting for indebtedness: geopolitics, technocracy and advanced financial capital

This paper explores the role of accounting within the context of Lazzarato’s theorization of indebtedness. Accounting is often depicted as neutral, objective and technocratic, and despite Lazzarato referencing accounting within his exploration of indebtedness, we believe the role of accounting is underexplored in his analyses. Our intervention suggests that accounting is the primary language of financialisation, securitization, financial capital and indebtedness. This paper also extends Lazzarato’s thesis by arguing that, with new accounting technologies, indebtedness is being spread to emerging economies. This extension is mobilized through the work of the International Accounting Standards Board, as a private accounting standard setter, in partnership with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as accounting is language of advanced financial accounting and indebtedness.