ABSTRACT
Accounting is a means to an end, a tool for economic control. This fact has been recognized for over a generation, and the role of accounting in business administration has been emphasized in most accounting books, both theoretical and practical, during the past decade. Little has been said, however, about the uses of accounting beyond the confines of the individual profit-seeking business enterprise. This article deals with some applications of accounting as a tool for “social control” of economic activity, as opposed to the internal administrative control of a particular business. No attempt will be made to treat fully any of the specific, problems which are introduced. It is the purpose rather to bring together some facts with which most accountants are familiar, but which have not usually been discussed as presenting similar problems.
