SLAPPing accountability out of the public sphere
Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal
ISSN: 0951-3574
Article publication date: 5 September 2018
Issue publication date: 11 September 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the disruption to civic accountability by strategic corporate action in the form of SLAPP suits.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides empirical evidence of the discursive processes underpinning participatory and emancipatory accountability regimes through the lens of deliberative democracy and the Habermasian ideal of the public sphere.
Findings
Within this paper, it is argued that the strategic use of SLAPPs by corporations presents a danger to both mechanistic and virtuous forms of accountability regardless of what deliberative democratic theory is adopted. Habermas’ theory of communicative action and notion of the “public sphere” is utilised to demonstrate how SLAPPs can result in the colonisation of public discursive arenas to prevent others providing alternative (in form) and counter (in view) accounts of corporate behaviour and thus act to limit opportunities for corporate accountability.
Social implications
This paper throws light on a practice being utilised by corporations to limit public participation in democratic and participatory accountability processes. Strategic use of SLAPPs limit the “ability” for citizens to provide an alternative “account” of corporate behaviour.
Originality/value
This paper is original in that it analyses the impact on accountability of strategic corporate practice of issuing SLAPP suits to “chill” public political discussion and limit protest about issues of social and civic importance. The paper extends the critical accounting literature into improving dialogic and participatory accountability regimes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank reviewers and participants at the 2016 APIRA Conference where an earlier version of this paper was presented. Thanks also to the anonymous referees for their positive feedback and to the members of the Aireys Inlet Writing Group for their ongoing support.
Citation
Murphy, D. and Moerman, L. (2018), "SLAPPing accountability out of the public sphere", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 1774-1793. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-10-2017-3186
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited