Stakeholder participation in the development of International Public Sector Accounting Standard 42, Social Benefits

Author(s):  
Anschi De Wolf ◽  
Johan Christiaens
2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 363-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berit Adam ◽  
Isabel Brusca ◽  
Eugenio Caperchione ◽  
Jens Heiling ◽  
Susana Margarida F. Jorge ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether higher education institutions (HEIs) in EU Member States are aware of the relevance of the ongoing reforms in public sector accounting (PSA) and the need to prepare their students to become expert professionals in that area. It particularly assesses whether these organizations currently provide, or will provide in the near future, education on International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS)/EPSAS, so that a sufficient number of graduates will be ready to match the foreseeable demand for experts in IPSAS/EPSAS. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a purposive sample, the paper compares the situation in four EU countries (Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain). Data have been obtained through a questionnaire provided to selected professors in relevant HEIs in the selected countries. Findings HEIs are giving only limited room to PSA and financial management, with differences in terms of program offerings and coverage of topics among the four countries. Furthermore, in most cases, the programs are adapted to the national budgetary and accounting standards and courses are seldom focused on the IPSASs. Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature on PSA harmonization, through an innovative analysis of PSA and financial management teaching, both at national and international levels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-28
Author(s):  
Mounira Hamed-Sidhom ◽  
Nadia Loukil

The paper aims to examine the relationship between International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) adoption and the perceived level of corruption in developing countries. It also attempts to inspect the mediating effect of political stability on this relationship. We follow the methodology used by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) to assess country adoption status and we apply a panel regression analysis to 57 developing countries over the 2016–2019 period. Our findings suggest that country’s decision to adopt IPSAS cannot shortly lead to a reduction of its corruption perceived level. In addition, we make evidence that the level of corruption does not matter on the relationship between the IPSAS adoption and the corruption perceived level. We find also that political stability, while decreases corruption, doesn’t contribute to enhance the effect of IPSAS adoption on the perceived corruption level. This paper provides insights into the role of IPSAS adoption to countries’ corruption levels. It will be of interest to accounting standard-setters, regulators, and policymakers in countries that are transitioning to or considering International Public Sector Accounting Standards. It will also be of interest to regulators and policymakers, multilateral institutions in their effort to fight corruption


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salah Uddin Rajib ◽  
Pawan Adhikari ◽  
Mahfuzul Hoque ◽  
Mahmuda Akter

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine public sector accounting reforms, mainly the adoption and implementation of the Cash Basis International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) in the Central Government of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the ideas of new institutionalism, the paper investigates the factors which have forced the country to accept the Cash Basis IPSAS but have delayed its implementation in practice. Findings Different approaches towards the Cash Basis IPSAS are now distinct in the Central Government of Bangladesh. Differences between Bangladesh and other emerging economies have been narrowed as the potency of institutional pressures has increased, and there is a risk, as experienced in other emerging economies, that the very adoption of the Cash Basis IPSAS may remain more a rhetoric than a reality in Bangladesh. The paper demonstrates that the extent to which professional accountants and their associations participate in reforms determines the public sector accounting reform trajectories in emerging economies. Practical implications The paper demonstrates that reforms driven by indigenous administrators can have the potential of becoming more instrumental in emerging economies than the externally propagated reforms, such as IPSASs and accrual accounting. What is important is to advance incrementally those public sector accounting reforms that local administrators have identified as important, that they could cope with their existing knowledge and capacity, and that they are interested in engaging with the reform process. Originality/value First, the study has contributed to extending neo-institutional theory by bringing out the responses of different stakeholders responsible for implementing public sector accounting reforms, mainly the Cash Basis IPSAS, in practice. Next, the paper has raised a question as to whether the Cash Basis IPSAS could be an appropriate reform measure for the central government of Bangladesh.


2021 ◽  
pp. 7-31
Author(s):  
Alessandro Lombrano

Gli Stati membri dell'Unione Europea condividono la politica monetaria e sono indirettamente responsabili del debito complessivo dell'eurozona. Da ciò l'importanza di bilanci omogenei e trasparenti nonché l'adozione di politiche di finanza pubblica condivise che, da ultimo, hanno portato all'ipotesi di emanare principi contabili pubblici comuni (EPSAS - European Public Sector Accounting Standard). Attraverso l'analisi del caso italiano, questo contributo propone alcune riflessioni critiche sull'opportunità di una regolamentazione contabile unitaria di rango eu-ropeo alla luce, da una parte, degli specifici obiettivi della ventilata riforma (il coordinamento e il controllo) e, dall'altra, degli inevitabili costi che essa produr-rebbe, anche in termini di incoerenza o ridondanza delle soluzioni individuate. Le implicazioni di ricerca e di policy sono rilevanti. Il rischio che sotto l'etichetta dell'armonizzazione passino soluzioni tecniche tanto complesse quanto inutili, che ne snaturino il senso e la portata, è concreto e va allontanato dall'agenda politica europea. Al tempo stesso va recuperato un chiaro rapporto tra gli stru-menti contabili delle riforme e risultati attesi dalle stesse, distinguendo, anche sul piano concettuale degli studi, il piano delle contabilità nazionali da quello delle contabilità per il governo.


2017 ◽  
pp. 5-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Carini ◽  
Laura Rocca ◽  
Claudio Teodori ◽  
Monica Veneziani

The European Commission initiated a discussion on the expediency of using the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), based on the IAS/IFRS, as a common base for harmonizing the public sector accounting systems of the member states. However, literature suggests that accounting is not neutral with respect to the economic, social and political dimensions. In the perspective of evolution of the accounting regulation outlined, balanced between accountability, with the need to represent phenomena for reporting pur-poses, and decisionmaking issues, which concentrates on the quantitative importance of the values, the paper aims to analyse the effects of the application of different criteria for the definition of the reporting entity of the local government consolidated financial statements (CFS). The Italian PCA 4/4, the test of control and the financial accountability approaches are examined. The evidence that emerged from the case studies examined identifies several criticalities in the Italian PCA 4/4 and support the thesis that the financial accountability approach is more effective in providing a complete representation of the public resources entrusted to and managed by the group, whereas the control approach better approximates quantification of the group results in terms of central government surveillance. The analysis highlights the importance of the post implementation review period and the opportunity to contextualize the adoption of the consolidated financial statement in the broader spectrum of the accounting harmonization process, participating in the process of definition of the European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS).


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