Toward a Genealogy of Fraud

• In Event: Emotions and Moral Judgments, Genealogy of Fraud, Mindfulness and Professional Skepticism, Whistleblowing

Abstract

When studying fraud, accounting researchers have often focused on its detection and prevention. This paper seeks to go beyond the primary focus on detection and prevention in order to explore the evolution of the concept of fraud in Anglo-American common law. The methodology employed relies on Michel Foucault’s notion of genealogy. The paper seeks to illustrate that while it is important to combat fraud as a persistent negative social phenomenon, it is also necessary to understand that the origins of fraud do not lie exclusively within the actions of the perpetrators of fraud, but also in the actions and characteristics of the persons defrauded. This insight leads to the argument that in order to combat fraud, it is important to be cautious about believing the unbelievable.

Author

• Charles Richard Baker, Adelphi University