scholarly journals IPSAS for European Union member states as starting points for EPSAS

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 247-264
Author(s):  
Tobias Polzer ◽  
Christoph Reichard
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
The European Union ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Institutional Contexts

Purpose The European Commission is pursuing an initiative to establish European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS) as a common mandatory set of rules for financial reporting of all member states of the European Union (EU). As a basis for developing EPSAS, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) are being used. The purpose of this paper is to structure and analyze the discussion around EPSAS, with particular emphasis on the arguments that were brought forward by governments and other stakeholders of various EU countries regarding the suitability of IPSAS. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on several schools of thought in new institutional theory, how the prevailing institutional contexts in countries influence the debates is explored. Empirically, this research investigates the responses to a consultation on the suitability of IPSAS for EU member states and takes a closer look, via document analysis, at France and Germany as two critical cases. Findings It is found that, first, the majority of arguments from respondents are framed in a rational choice way. Second, skeptics of IPSAS tend to make arguments rather from positions closer to historical and/or sociological institutionalism. Research limitations/implications The paper illustrates that while technical matters around EPSAS seem solvable, political, historical and cultural differences go deeper, and need to be addressed by change agents. Regarding limitations of the research, first, the analysis concentrates on financial reporting and does not deal with the implications for more reliable and comparable national accounts in the context of the European System of Accounts (ESA, 2010). Second, it is focused on debates in the context of the EPSAS proposal, and there is a need for an evaluation after the changes have gone live. Originality/value The study looks at a text genre that has so far received less attention in public sector accounting research: responses to consultations. The paper contributes to the literature by showing how institutional contexts matter in settings characterized by contestation of reform contents.

Pension Obligations in the European Union: A Case Study for Accounting Policy

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Biondi ◽  
Marion Boisseau-Sierra
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Financial Supervision ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Member States ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

AbstractPension obligations constitute a critical issue for public finances and budgets. This is especially true for the European Union whose institutional mechanism aims to supervise Member States’ spending through centralised budgetary rules based upon financial covenants. In this context, accounting methods of recognition and measurement of pension obligations become an integral and critical aspect of Europe’s transnational budgetary and financial supervision. Drawing upon a comprehensive overview of pension management and regulation, this article aims to analyse the ongoing debate on accounting for pension obligations with a specific attention to the harmonization of European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS). While the European Commission has been favouring the ‘indisputable reference’ to the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), European Member States’ practices and views remain inconsistent with the normative solution imposed by the IPSAS 25, which favours and facilitates Definite Contribution pension schemes. In this context, we do summarise the IPSAS position mimicking the IFRS, review the pension’s accounting in national statistics and EPSAS debate, and provide some building blocks for a comprehensive model of accounting for pension obligations that admits and enables several viable modes of pension management.

Harmonising public sector accounting laws and regulations of the European Union member states: powers and competences

2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232110600
Author(s):  
Karoline Helldorff ◽  
Johan Christiaens
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Will Force ◽  
The One ◽  
Rules Set ◽  
The Eu

This paper analyses the powers and competences of the EU to standardise public sector accounting of the member states and to take other EU action in the field of public sector accounting. We argue that public sector accounting forms part of the administrative organisation of the member states that is not a core EU competence. EU initiatives such as the European Public Sector Accounting Standards project, which aim to increase transparency and comparability, therefore need to follow the rules set out for administrative matters in general. The study reveals on the one hand that EU actions are essentially limited to voluntary cooperation and influences of other policy areas. But on the other hand, it shows that they do not need to be limited to the initiatives currently driven by Eurostat. Points for practitioners The future of the European Public Sector Accounting Standards project is uncertain. However, it is very unlikely that it will take the shape of a top-down set of readymade EU accounting standards that will force public administrations to adjust their inner workings. Public sector accounting is not (yet) a (typical) European policy, but simply a national one that the EU can support. The EU initiative can be considered as an opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing on how to increase transparency of public sector accounting.

The IPSASB's recent strategies: opportunities for academics and standard-setters

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwenda Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Fitness For Purpose ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Ongoing Dialogue ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to contribute to an ongoing dialogue between practitioners and academics. This article describes the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) recent strategies and highlights the IPSASB's increasing outreach to academics.Design/methodology/approachThis is a practitioner's viewpoint which reflects the IPSASB's publicly available documents, and the opinions of a practitioner directly involved in the IPSASB's work and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) development.FindingsThe findings are that the IPSASB has increased its outreach to academics and now academics have more opportunities to engage with the IPSASB and IPSAS developments. The IPSASB's strategy has remained relatively constant over time, focusing on IPSAS to address public sector-specific issues, alignment with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and reduction of differences between IPSAS and Government Finance Statistics (GFS) reporting guidelines.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this article (which are also its strength in terms of fitness for purpose) are that as a practitioner's viewpoint it provides a brief overview and personal judgments, rather than an empirical analysis of developments applying a theoretical framework.Practical implicationsThe practical implications were IPSASB's increased outreach to the research community providing opportunities for academics to have increased input into IPSAS development, with likely benefits to researchers and the IPSASB.Social implicationsPractitioners’ engagement with academics supports increased understanding of the respective views leading to better outcomes for practitioners and academics working in the area of public sector financial reporting and its regulation.Originality/valueThis article is the first to (a) describe the IPSASB's increasing outreach to academics during 2019–2020 and (b) compare the IPSASB's strategies for the period of 2019–2023, with its strategies since the beginning of IPSAS developments in 1996–1997.

Evaluating public sector management approaches towards undeclared work in the European Union

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin C. Williams
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Undeclared Work ◽  
Good Behaviour

PurposeThis paper seeks to analyse the various approaches being used by the public sector across the European Union to tackle undeclared work and to evaluate the direction of change.Design/methodology/approachTo do this, the National Action Plans for Employment 2001 and 2003 (NAPs) and the National Reform Programmes 2005‐2008 (NRPs) are analysed, along with the data collected in international reviews conducted by the European Employment Observatory in Autumn 2004 and the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) in 2005 on undeclared work.FindingsIn parallel with public sector management in other realms, where it is accepted that positive reinforcement of “good” behaviour is more effective at eliciting change than negative reinforcement of “bad” behaviour, the finding is that the public sector in EU member states is moving away from solely a repressive approach that seeks to detect and penalise offenders and towards an approach that also seeks to stimulate good behaviour by rewarding compliance. Until now, however, these positive reinforcement measures appear to remain firmly entrenched in a bureaucratic management approach that uses externally imposed direct control systems to generate reactive behaviours, rather than an internalised post‐bureaucratic approach that seeks to generate constructive pro‐activity and commitment to tax morality on the part of populations.Originality/valueThis is one of the first attempts to evaluate how public sector management is tackling undeclared work in European member states.

scholarly journals Compatibility of the IFRS for Small and Medium-sized Entities and the new EU-Accounting Directive

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1945-1951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrit Kaufhold
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Reporting Standard ◽  
International Financial Reporting Standard ◽  
Member States ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Accounting Principles

The new EU-Accounting Directive of 26 June 2013 (DIRECTIVE 2013/34/EU) has the intention to harmonize the accounting and financial reporting of enterprises in the European Union. “Think small first” is the central principle in the new EU-Accounting Directive and the new regulations have to be adopted in the laws of European member states by 20 July 2015. The International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs) was published in 2009 by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The IASB intended to create simplified international financial reporting standards for the special needs of smaller and medium-sized enterprise. The IASB completed in May 2015 a comprehensive review of the IFRS for SMEs and made amendments to the Standard. The revised version of the IFRS for SMEs will be issued in the last quarter of 2015. The aim of the paper is to analyze the compatibility of the IFRS for SMEs and the new EU- Accounting Directive and the problems in connection with the harmonization of the European accounting legislation especially in Germany. Based on the results of the research most of the former incompatibilities could be removed, but the remaining complexity of the IFRS for SMEs and the lack of an option for the member states to adopt the IFRS for SMEs as an accounting and reporting standard besides or instead their local accounting principles will prevent the wide use of the IFRS for SMEs in Germany and in other member states of the European Union.

A contingency theory perspective on the analysis of central government accounting disclosure under International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1089-1117
Author(s):  
Yosra Mnif ◽  
Yosra Gafsi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Contingency Theory ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Accounting Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent of central government financial information disclosed in accordance with accrual-based International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and to investigate the environmental factors affecting this level, drawing on the contingency theory framework. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a self-constructed checklist of 116 items to measure the IPSAS disclosure level by 100 public sector entities from different countries across the globe during the period 2015–2017. Panel regressions have been used. Findings The results show significant differences in compliance levels with IPSAS disclosures across nations. They reveal a positive influence of the degree of government openness (political culture), quality of public administration and management and prior experience with International Accounting Standards (IAS)/International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the public sector on this level, whereas government financial condition is a nonsignificant factor. Practical implications The research findings are potentially relevant to academics, researchers, practitioners, standard-setters and government policymakers. By examining the influencing factors of IPSAS disclosure level, this paper paves the way for further investigation of this topic with a more extensive set of micro and macroeconomic variables whether at the central or local government level in other jurisdictions Originality/value This study provides new insights into the assessment of the transparency and completeness of government accrual-based financial statements. Based on the contingency theory, this paper is the first to empirically investigate the factors affecting the level of disclosure under accrual-based IPSAS by central government entities in a cross-country analysis.

Effects of implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards on Nigeria’s financial reporting quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 323-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saheed Adekunle Muraina ◽  
Kabiru Isa Dandago
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) on Nigeria’s financial reporting quality. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a survey research design to determine the effects of the implementation of the IPSAS on Nigeria’s financial reporting quality. Partial Least Square 3(SmartPLS 3) technique of analysis was applied to achieve the research objective. Findings The study found that accountability positively and significantly affects the quality of financial reporting in Nigeria. Specifically, IPSAS has improved the level of accountability, which in turn improved Nigeria’s financial reporting quality. Research limitations The study only explored two explanatory variables whereas other variables such as transparency, corruption minimization, comparability and faithful representation were not considered in this study. It is, therefore, recommended that further studies could expand the scope to cover some other variables not included in this paper. Practical implications IPSAS-Accrual has engendered the Nigerian Government to launch the Asset Tracking and Management Project (ATMProject) in order to easily track its assets for the purpose of accountability. Thus, accountability was discovered in this study to be the most essential factor to enhance the quality of financial reporting using accrual-based IPSAS in Nigeria. Social implications Accountability will impact positively on the lives of Nigerians in relation to the application of public funds to impact on the lives of the masses. Originality/value The statistical significance of accountability found in this study, using partial least square technique of data analysis, will further enhance financial integrity in the country.

scholarly journals Heritage assets in financial reporting: a critical analysis of the IPSASB's consultation paper

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Biondi ◽  
Fabio Giulio Grandis ◽  
Giorgia Mattei
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Individual Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Critical Case Study ◽  
Consultation Paper

PurposeWithin the stream of research on public sector accounting standards, heritage asset accounting represents a difficult and challenging issue. This paper intends to join the debate on heritage reporting by carrying out a critical review of the Consultation Paper (CP) “Financial Reporting for Heritage in the Public Sector” issued by the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) in order to highlight its strengths and weaknesses and to make recommendations.Design/methodology/approachTo this end, the current study adopts document analysis as a qualitative research method by referring to Italy as a typical and critical case study. Moreover, the authors actively took part in the Italian working group on heritage assets reporting, so they are well-informed people about the Italian point of view as well as the broad discussion underpinning the Italian response.FindingsEvidence demonstrates that, although the proposals included in the CP represent a new step towards an organic regulation of heritage asset reporting, if these preliminary views are confronted with the reality of an emblematic context, as in the Italian case, much room for improvement remains regarding the definition, recognition, measurement and disclosure of such assets.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper lies in its contribution to overcoming the current controversial aspects of heritage assets reporting and the issuing of an accounting standard. In doing so, the authors also attempt to answer the call made by Anessi-Pessina et al. (2019) to investigate in detail an individual country experience to better understand the state of the art in national and international accounting standards on heritage assets.

First-time adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards by Russian universities: Practical aspects

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-383
Author(s):  
L.I. Kulikova ◽  
I.I. Yakhin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Academic Excellence ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
First Time ◽  
Russian Universities

Subject. This article examines the practice of first-time applying the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) by Russian higher education institutions. Objectives. The article aims to identify and address the problems associated with such application, and conduct a critical analysis of Russian universities' compliance with the requirements of the International Standards on their first-time adoption. Methods. For the study, we used observation, systematization, and a comparative analysis. Results. The article examines and describes the practical experience of the first-time use of IPSAS in the preparation of reporting by Russian educational institutions participating in the Russian Academic Excellence Project (5Top100 Project). It presents the results of the most typical reclassification adjustments of reporting items made by the universities when preparing their inductive statements of financial position as of the date of transition to IPSAS. Conclusions and Relevance. Most of the universities studied complied with the requirements of the IPSAS first-time adoption and provided comparative information in their first IPSAS financial reporting. The importance of the study is to justify the provision that financial reporting in accordance with IPSAS is appropriate to improve the international competitiveness of universities, which makes it possible to better reflect financial information on the activities of universities. The results of the study can be used in the practical activities of the Russian economy public sector organizations, and in the educational process of higher education institutions.

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