Governmental financial transparency in MERCOSUR member countries

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Caba Pérez ◽  
Antonio Manuel López-Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
The Public ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Measurement Basis ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Support Decision Making

In the last century, the MERCOSUR member countries have carried out reforms aimed at achieving better public financial information for governmental decision-taking. Important changes are currently taking place on the international public accounting scene, and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has published International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), by which it seeks to ensure that governmental financial reports include financial information of sufficient quality to support decision-making by different users, and at the same time to improve the comparability of the financial information presented by public sector bodies throughout the world. In this article, we examine the consistency of the information included by MERCOSUR member countries in their current year-end governmental public financial reports with the public financial reporting practices recommended by IFAC, in order to determine whether further efforts are needed to improve transparency and comparability. Points for practitioners The article may help government practitioners in MERCOSUR countries to become aware of the divergences which exist regarding the governmental financial information offered by each of the countries in MERCOSUR. Moreover, it could help to set up a common project of account reform which would take IPSAS as its model. This unified framework for accounting policies would increase the coherence of financial information and would establish a common measurement basis to assess the financial results of all of the MERCOSUR countries.

scholarly journals Non-financial reporting in the public sector: alternatives, trends and opportunities

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Montesinos ◽  
Isabel Brusca
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information Models ◽  
Private And Public

In recent years, different non-financial information models have arisen, both in the private  and  public sectors, trying to complete the traditional financial reports prepared by companies and public administrations. The fundamental objective of these models has been to satisfy the interest of the stakeholders, which goes beyond the numbers included in the balance sheet and the income statement. In the case of the public sector, this is coupled with the discontent and distrust of citizens towards politicians and administrators of institutions, which makes it necessary to emphasize tools and strategies that can improve the transparency and accountability of administrations and restore citizen trust. Therefore, this article highlights the different non-financial information alternatives that have emerged in the literature, their practical application in the public sector and the opportunities that these models offer for the future. Specifically, we refer to sustainability reporting, integrated reporting, the non-financial report recently regulated for the business sector and, finally, popular reporting. En los últimos años han irrumpido con fuerza distintos modelos de información no financiera, tanto en el sector privado como en el público, tratando de completar el tradicional informe financiero preparado por empresas y administraciones públicas. El objetivo fundamental de estos modelos ha sido satisfacer el interés del conjunto amplio de los stakeholders, que va más allá de los números recogidos en el balance de situación y la cuenta de resultados. En el caso del sector público, a esto se une el descontento generalizado y la desconfianza de los ciudadanos hacia los políticos y administradores de las instituciones, lo que hace necesario poner el acento en todas aquellas herramientas y estrategias que puedan perfeccionar la transparencia y responsabilidad de las administraciones y reintegrar la confianza de sus administrados. Por ello, en este artículo se ponen de relieve las distintas alternativas de información no financiera que han ido surgiendo en la literatura, su aplicación práctica en el ámbito del sector público y las oportunidades que estos modelos ofrecen para el futuro. En concreto nos referimos a la información sostenible, la información integrada, la información popular y por último, al informe no financiero regulado en nuestra normativa para el sector empresarial.

scholarly journals Challenges with the financial reporting of biological assets by public entities in South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deon Scott ◽  
Christa Wingard ◽  
Marilene Van Biljon
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Fair Value ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Accounting Standard ◽  
The Public ◽  
Growth Initiative

Fair value accounting of biological assets in the public sector was introduced with the adoption of the public-sector-specific accounting standard: Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) 101. The public sector currently reports on various bases of accounting. Public entities and municipalities report in terms of accrual accounting, and government departments report on the modified cash basis. The lack of a uniform basis of accounting impedes the comparability of financial information. The implementation of GRAP 101 in the public sector is important in facilitating comparability of financial information regarding biological assets. This paper is based on a content analysis of the annual reports of 10 relevant public entities in South Africa and specifically details the challenges that public entities encounter with the application of GRAP 101. These challenges, and how they were addressed by a public entity that adopted and applied GRAP 101, namely the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative South Africa – Eastern Cape (AsgiSA-EC), are documented in this research.

How might harmonization influence the future prevalence of public sector creative accounting?

Tékhne ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Hodges
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Broad Context ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
The Public ◽  
Policy Effects ◽  
National Accounting ◽  
Creative Accounting

Abstract This paper considers the significance of future harmonization on public sector creative forms of accounting (PSCA) in the context of both national accounting and government financial reporting. The analysis is carried out through a review of studies provided in the academic and official literatures. Examples are provided of PSCA in a ‘broad’ context of any manipulation of financial information and in a ‘focused’ context, referring to the reporting of deficit / surplus and associated levels of debt. The analysis is related to the influence of harmonization using the classification of information-manipulating behaviour drawn from Birnberg, Turopolec, and Young (1983). There is potential for accounting harmonization to improve the analysability of data to restrict PSCA. However, although many techniques of PSCA have been identified, the drivers and controllers of PSCA remain unclear. Accounting researchers should use their specialist understanding to draw out the differences between apparently consistent frameworks of accounting and to understand the policy effects and social implications of harmonization and related creative forms of accounting. There are relatively few studies of PSCA. This paper represents the first study that seeks to relate PSCA to the increasing tendency towards harmonisation of accounting in the public sector context. An agenda is included to guide researchers towards issues that are worthy of further consideration in this important area of study.

Voluntary versus mandatory non-financial disclosure

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 781-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Doni ◽  
Silvio Bianchi Martini ◽  
Antonio Corvino ◽  
Michela Mazzoni
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
European Directive ◽  
Ex Post

Purpose The recent European Union Directive 95/2014 enforced a radical shift from voluntary to mandatory disclosure of non-financial information. Given radical changes in reporting practices, there is an urgent need to assess the firms’ attitude to disclose non-financial information regarding the new requirement. This paper aims to investigate whether the quantity and quality of non-financial information, voluntarily disclosed in the years before the directive came into force, were linked to the level of compliance. Design/methodology/approach Selecting a sample of 60 Italian companies from the obliged entities, the authors carried out a manual content analysis on corporate reports and developed some research hypotheses to explore if their sustainability practices can affect non-financial disclosures required by the Italian adoption of the European directive (i.e. Legislative Decree 254/2016). Findings Evidence showed that prior skills and competencies in non-financial reporting made a significant contribution especially regarding to the presence of business model, but further efforts are expected to improve the quality of non-financial reports. Practical implications This study yields an initial assessment of the implementation of the European directive in Italy. It may, therefore, help policymakers to identify ways to improve the harmonization of reporting practices. Preparers can also be supported in choosing different positioning of reporting on non-financial information. Originality/value This research provides interesting insights into the ex ante and ex post adoption of the European directive by investigating how Italian companies are reacting to regulatory and institutional requirements. One of the main problems remains the lack of a shared understanding of the term “non-financial”, which can make the communication process difficult and unclear.

Determinants of Financial Reporting Quality in the Public Sector: Evidence from Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (03) ◽  
pp. 1950009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuad Rakhman ◽  
Singgih Wijayana
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Audit Opinion ◽  
The Public ◽  
Quality Literature

Most studies addressing the issue of financial reporting quality (FRQ) focus on corporations. This study investigates the determinants of FRQ in the public sector. We use the type of audit opinion as a proxy for reporting quality, with an unqualified opinion representing the best reporting quality while a disclaimer of opinion represents the worst quality. Using manually collected data from 3018 financial reports of local governments in Indonesia from 2008 to 2014, we find that a high proportion of capital expenditures in the total budget is associated with low FRQ. Further, we find that larger and wealthier local governments are associated with higher FRQ. Finally, we find that local governments under more experienced mayors have higher reporting quality. Our results are robust to different measures of FRQ. This study contributes to the reporting quality literature by providing empirical evidence on the determinants of FRQ in the public sector, which has been relatively underexplored. We conclude that certain characteristics of local governments and of mayors are associated with the types of audit opinion and that financial incentives accelerate the improvement of reporting quality.

scholarly journals Content requirements for narrative reporting in the public sector: a contextual perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benson Igboke ◽  
Razaq Raj
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Narrative Reporting ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Accounting literature is definite about the content and presentation of traditional financial statements, but the basic information to be provided in the narrative reports of public sector entities remains unsettled. This paper aims to investigate the needs and expectations of stakeholders (primary users and preparers) regarding the content and presentation of narrative reports in the public sector of Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The research used a qualitative approach that draws on stakeholder and contingency theories to collect primary data through in-depth individual interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. Data were analysed by a thematic method using the NVivo 11 Pro software package. Findings The study reveals that financial statements constitute the statutory financial reports of public sector entities in Nigeria as narrative reporting is undeveloped, both as a concept and in practice. Stakeholders believe that narrative reporting is required to enhance the accountability usefulness of the annual financial reports published by the government and public agencies. Data analysis further reveals that public perception about the management of government financial resources influences the information needs of stakeholders regarding financial reporting. In addition, stakeholders consider the approved budget as the cornerstone of public financial reporting. Accordingly, users and other stakeholders expect public sector narrative reports to provide budget-based performance information that relates the accounting data presented in the financial statements to the key budgetary provisions, in both financial outlays and service delivery achievements. Stakeholders also expect narrative reports to be presented in plain language and provide information about the impact of financial decisions and actions on the basic socioeconomic variables that signpost citizens’ well-being, such as education, health care, employment and security. Practical implications The study suggests that the inclusion of narrative information in the statutory financial reports of public entities in Nigeria is imperative and should engage the attention of policymakers and relevant regulatory authorities. In addition, a more elaborate systematic investigation of the information needs of stakeholders in Nigeria should be undertaken by relevant units of government. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first documented research on narrative reporting and the information needs of a broad range of stakeholders in the public sector of Nigeria. The paper identifies the approved budget as the focal point of governmental financial reporting, and a clear linkage between budget provisions, accounting results and service delivery achievements as the basic content of a narrative report in developing countries.

Beyond Financial Reporting. Integrated Reporting and its determinants: Evidence from the context of European state-owned enterprises

2019 ◽  
pp. 43-72
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Nicolò ◽  
Gianluca Zanellato ◽  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Adriana Tiron-Tudor
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
The Public ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

Integrated reporting (IR), which aims to overcome the limitations of both tradi-tional financial and stand-alone non-financial reports, has gained momentum as a single comprehensive tool merging financial and non-financial information. Initially conceived for private sector entities, IR is also establishing itself in the public sector context as a vehicle for transparency and accountability. This research offers an empirical investigation of IR practices in the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) context. More specifically, the paper investigates the levels of disclosure provided through IR by a sample of 34 European SOEs and explores the effects of potential explanatory factors. The results indicate a fair level of IR disclosure and a trend of reporting information already requested under international accounting standards. The findings also highlight that industry (basic materials and financials) and size positively influence the level of IR disclosure in a particularly strong way, while governance features (board size and board gender diversity) and the provision of external assurance do not exert any impact.

Research from China finds no significant difference in impact of public service motivation (PSM) in public and private sectors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The authors assumed PSM would be higher in the public sector, but they set up a trial to find out if this was the case. Design/methodology/approach To test their theories, the authors conducted two independent surveys. The first consisted of 220 usable responses from public sector employees in Changsha, China. The second survey involved 260 usable responses from private sector employees taking an MBA course at a university in the Changsha district. A questionnaire was used to assess attitudes. Findings The results found no significant difference between the impact of public sector motivation (PSM) on employee performance across the public and private sectors. The data showed that PSM had a significant impact on self-reported employee performance, but the relationship did not differ much between sectors. Meanwhile, it was in the private sector that PSM had the greatest impact on intention to leave. Originality/value The authors said the research project was one of the first to test if the concept of PSM operated in the same way across sectors. It also contributed, they said, to the ongoing debate about PSM in China.

scholarly journals Institutional Isomorphism And Adoption Of International Public Sector Accounting Standards By African Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (05) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Muganda Munir Manini
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Institutional Isomorphism ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

The international harmonization of financial reporting standards in the public sector is one of the significant public sector accounting reforms which have gained prominence in the recent past under the New Public Financial Management order. However, previous empirical evidence provided mixed results on the extent of African countries’ decision on the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards and its relationship with institutional isomorphism factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of institutional isomorphism (normative, mimetic and coercive) on the adoption International Public Sector Accounting Standards by African countries. The target population was 54 countries; however the final sample was 29 countries which comprised the dataset. A logistic regression analysis was thereafter conducted. Based on the Institutional Theory, the study revealed external public funding (coercive isomorphic pressure), the countries’ global competitiveness (mimetic isomorphic pressure), and human capital (normative isomorphic pressure) were non significant factors in a countries decision to adopt IPSAS. This study contributes to the literature on the international accounting in the public sector. The results of the study have significant managerial and theoretical implications for accounting standards regulators, researchers, and multilateral organizations.

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