International Journal of Economics, Education, Law and Social Sciences (IJEELSC)
Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025): July

REVISITING THE GOLDEN RULE IN ACCOUNTING: A NORMATIVE INQUIRY INTO JUSTICE, FAIRNESS, AND EQUITY

Bamidele Vincent Olawale (Accounting Education Department, School of Business Education. Federal College of Education (Technical), Nigeria.)
Abdulsallam Dauda (Accounting Education Department, School of Business Education. Federal College of Education (Technical), Nigeria.)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jul 2025

Abstract

This paper examines the application of the ethical principle of the Golden Rule, “Treat others as you wish to be treated,” in a framework of accounting professions. It is notable that justice and fairness, or equity, are accepted elements of accounting’s legitimacy, value, and social worth; nevertheless, a full application of the Golden Rule in accounting theory and practice has not been realized. This work aims at establishing a normative model rooted in the Golden Rule to account for distributive, procedural, and corrective injustice in accounting, drawing from differing philosophical, religious, and ethical works. This model demonstrates how the Golden Rule can help resolve ethics-based dilemmas related to financial reporting, auditing, taxation, and professional practices by cultivating empathy and reciprocal responsibility, which can be termed attitudinal accountability among professionals. This paper also outlines actionable recommendations for educators as well as setters of standards and practitioners within prescribed professional networks. Policy initiatives researched are on the implementation forefront. Ultimately this paper argues that the profession of accounting advocating moral culture with the Golden Rule will restore public confidence while providing better opportunities for all stakeholders.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ijeelsc

Publisher

Subject

Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

International Journal of Economics, Education, Law and Social Sciences (IJEELSC) with registered number E-ISSN 3123-6383, is a peer-reviewed journal published two times a year by PT. ZILLZELL MEDIA PRIMA. IJEELSC is intended to be the journal for publishing articles reporting the results of research ...