Equity-liability accounting debate in worker co-operative entities members' shares

Abstract

It is generally accepted that common high quality financial information standards are essential in a global economy. The comparability of financial information is necessary in order to facilitate the decision-making process with regard to capital flows between different countries. This complex harmonization process focuses attention on investor-owned business. Nevertheless, this process cannot progress without an appropriate analysis of the nature of other types of entity. General criteria may be insufficient or inadequate when applied to entities, such as co-operatives, in which there is a difference from the basic ownership parameters of a company. International accounting standards setters are involved in a project that reconsiders the principles that should determine the distinction between equity and liabilities. Many of the specific characteristics of co-operatives have a bearing on the recognition and measurement of their equity in the balance sheet. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this debate by analysing the features of co-operatives that need to be visualized and better understood in order to obtain an appropriate solution via the accounting harmonization process for co-operatives. We analyse the possible consequences for co-operative member shares accounting of the different approaches studied by international accounting standards setters. We highlight the impact of some of the tentative decisions adopted in the IASB and FASB joint project in the case of worker co-operative members' shares.