Public sector financial management and democracy qualityThe role of the accounting systems

  1. Bisogno, Marco 1
  2. Cuadrado-Ballesteros, Beatriz 2
  1. 1 University of Salerno
    info

    University of Salerno

    Fisciano, Italia

    ROR https://ror.org/0192m2k53

  2. 2 Universidad de Salamanca
    info

    Universidad de Salamanca

    Salamanca, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02f40zc51

Revista:
Revista de contabilidad = Spanish accounting review: [RC-SAR]

ISSN: 1138-4891

Año de publicación: 2020

Volumen: 23

Número: 2

Páginas: 238-248

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.6018/RCSAR.369631 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDIGITUM editor

Otras publicaciones en: Revista de contabilidad = Spanish accounting review: [RC-SAR]

Resumen

Los cambios en los marcos contables, como la adopción de sistemas contables basados en el devengo (accrual accounting) o la implementación de las Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad del Sector Público (International Public Sector Financial Accounting Standards, IPSAS), se consideran importantes reformas de la gestión financiera del sector público. Estudios anteriores han investigado en gran medida los efectos de estas reformas sobre la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas, teniendo en cuenta también el nivel de participación de los ciudadanos del sector público. Este estudio tiene como objetivo examinar los efectos de estas prácticas de gestión financiera sobre la calidad de la democracia. Concretamente, se centra en estudiar el papel de los sistemas de contabilidad a nivel internacional y ofrece un análisis comparativo de la adopción de las IPSAS y del sistema basado en los accruals. Utilizando una muestra de 33 países de la OCDE entre los años 2010 y 2014, los resultados sugieren que el uso de un sistema contable basado en los accruals no ha sido suficiente para mejorar la calidad de democracia; sin embargo, los hallazgos indican que la implementación de las IPSAS sí consigue mejorar la calidad de la democracia, principalmente debido a los principios de igualdad y control.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Altman, D., & Pérez-Liñán, A. (2002). Assessing the Quality of Democracy: Freedom, Competitiveness and Participation in Eighteen Latin American Countries. Democratization, 7, 85--100. https://doi.org/10.1080/714000256
  • Arellano, M., & Bond, S. (1991). Some tests of specification for panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and an application to employment equations. Review of Economic Studies, 58, 277--297. https://doi.org/10.2307/2297968
  • Arellano, M., & Bover, O. (1995). Another look at the instrumental variables estimation of error components models. Journal of Economics, 68, 29--51. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4076(94)01642-D
  • Aversano, N., & Manes-Rossi, F. (2017). The democratic participation of local governments: A survey on Italian local governments web sites. In Cuadrado- Ballesteros, B. & García-Sánchez, I.M. (Eds.), Local Governments in the Digital era: Looking for Accountability (pp. 55--72). New York: Nova Publisher. ISBN: 978-1-63485-891-5
  • Barton, A. (2009). The Use and Abuse of Accounting in the Public Sector Financial Management Reform Program in Australia. Abacus, 45, 221-248. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6281.2009.00283.x
  • Baum, C., Schaffer, M., & Stillman, S. (2003). Instrumental variables and GMM: Estimation and testing. Stata Journal, 3, 1--31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867X0300300101
  • Beetham, D. (2004). Freedom as the Foundation. Journal of Democracy, 15, 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2004.0057
  • Behn, R. D. (2001). Rethinking Democratic Accountability. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7864/j.ctvdf03r8
  • Bellanca, S., & Vandernoot, J. (2014). International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) Implementation in the European Union (EU) Member States. Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, 10, 257-269. https://doi.org/10.17265/1548-6583/2014.03.001
  • Benito, B., Brusca, I., & Montesinos, V. (2007). The harmonization of government financial information systems: The role of the IPSAS. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 73, 293--317. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852307078424
  • Bergmann, A. (2009). Public Sector Financial Management. Essex, Prentice Hall - Pearson Education Limited. ISBN: 978-0-273-71354-8
  • Biondi, Y. (2014). Harmonising European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS): Issues and perspectives for Europe's economy and society. Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, 4, 165-178. https://doi.org/10.1515/ael-2017-0014
  • Biondi, Y., & Soverchia, M. (2014). Accounting rules for the European Communities: A theoretical analysis. Accounting, Economics and Law, 4, 179--214. https://doi.org/10.1515/ael-2013-0063
  • Blöndal, J. R. (2003). Accrual Accounting and Budgeting: Key Issues and Recent Developments. OECD Journal on Budgeting, 3, 43-131. https://doi.org/10.1787/16812336
  • Bovaird, T., & Löffler, E. (2003). Evaluating the quality of public governance: indicators, models and methodologies. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 69, 313- 328. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852303693002
  • Bühlmann, M., Merkel, W., Müller, L., & Weßels, B. (2012). The democracy barometer: a new instrument to measure the quality of democracy and its potential for comparative research. European Political Science, 11, 519-536. https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2011.46
  • Caperchione, E. (2006). The New Public Management -- a perspective for finance practitioners. Brussels, FEE. Available at: https://www.accountancyeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/The_New_Public_Management_A_Perspective_for_Finance_Practitioners_0612112200611033.pdf
  • Caruana, J., Brusca, I., Caperchione, E., Cohen, S., & Manes-Rossi, F. (2019). Exploring the Relevance of Accounting Frameworks in the Pursuit of Financial Sustainability of Public Sector Entities: A Holistic Approach. In Caruana, J., Brusca, I., Caperchione, E., Cohen, S. and Manes-Rossi, F. (eds. by), Financial Sustainability of Public Sector Entities. The Relevance of Accounting Frameworks. Switzerland, Palgrave MacMillan (pp. 1-18). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06037-4_1
  • Chan, J.L. (2003). Government accounting: an assessment of theory, purposes and standards. Public Money & Management, 23, 13--20. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9302.00336
  • Christiaens, J., Vanhee, C., Manes-Rossi, F., Aversano, N., & Van Cauwenberge, P. (2015). The effect of IPSAS on reforming governmental financial reporting: an international comparison. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 81, 158-177. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852314546580
  • Cohen, S., Mamakoua, X.J., & Karatzimas, S. (2017). IT-enhanced popular reports: Analyzing citizen preferences. Government Information Quarterly, 34, 283-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2017.04.003
  • Cuadrado-Ballesteros, B., Citro, F., & Bisogno, M. (2019). The role of public-sector accounting in controlling corruption: an assessment of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. International Review of Administrative Sciences, In press. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852318819756
  • Da Cruz, N., Ferreira, T., Marques, A.F., Cunha, R., Susana, J., & de Sousa, L. (2016). Measuring local government transparency. Public Management Review, 18, 866-893. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2015.1051572
  • Dahl, R. (1971). Polyarchy. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN: 9780300015652
  • Dahl, R.A. (1998). On democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN: 9780300194463
  • Dahlberg, S., Holmberg, S., Rothstein, B., Khomenko, A., & Svensson, R. (2017). The Quality of Government Basic Dataset, version Jan17. University of Gothenburg: The Quality of Government Institute, http://doi.org/10.18157/QoGBasJan17
  • Diamond, L., & Morlino, L. (2004). The quality of democracy. An overview. Journal of Democracy, 15, 20-31. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2004.0060
  • European Commision (EC). (2016). EU e-Government Action Plan 2016--2020: Accelerating the digital transformation of government. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016DC0179 [Accessed at 13.3.2018].
  • Glaeser, E. L., Ponzetto, G. A., & Shleifer, A. (2007). Why does democracy need education? Journal of Economic Growth, 12, 77-99. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10887-007-9015-1
  • Harrison, T.M., & Sayogo, S.D. (2014). Transparency, participation, and accountability practices in open government: A comparative study. Government Information Quarterly, 31, 513--525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2014.08.002
  • Heo, U., & Tan, A. C. (2001). Democracy and economic growth: A causal analysis. Comparative Politics, 33, 463-473. https://doi.org/10.2307/422444
  • Hood, C. (1991). A public management for all seasons. Public Administration, 69, 1, 3--19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1991.tb00779.x
  • Hood, C. (1995). The 'New public management' in the 1980s -- Variations on a Theme. Accounting, Organization and Society, 20, 93--109. https://doi.org/10.1016/0361-3682(93)E0001-W
  • IMF (2018). Fiscal Transparency Handbook. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund. http://dx.doi.org/10.5089/9781484331859.069
  • Inglehart, R. (2003). How Solid is Mass Support for Democracy? And How can we Measure it? Political Science & Politics, 36, 51--57. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096503001689
  • Kuhlmann, S., & Wollmann, H. (2014). Introduction to Comparative Public Administration. Administrative Systems and Reforms in Europe. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. ISBN-13: 978-1783473595
  • Lapsley, I., R. Mussari, G., & Paulsson, G. (2009). On the Adoption of Accrual Accounting in the Public Sector: A Self-Evident and Problematic Reform. European Accounting Review, 18, 719-723. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180903334960
  • Li, Q., & Reuveny, R. (2003). Economic globalization and democracy: An empirical analysis. British Journal of Political Science, 33, 29-54. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123403000024
  • Li, Q., & Reuveny, R. (2009). Democracy and Economic Openness in an Interconnected System. New York: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511804953
  • Muller, E. N. (1995). Economic determinants of democracy. American Sociological Review, 60, 966-982. https://doi.org/10.2307/2096435
  • Munck, G. L., & Verkuilen, J. (2002). Conceptualizing and measuring democracy. Evaluating alternative indices. Comparative Political Studies, 35, 5-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/001041400203500101
  • Mussari, R. (2014). EPSAS and the Unification of Public Sector Accounting Across Europe. Accounting, Economics and Law: A Convivium, 4, 299-312. https://doi.org/10.1515/ael-2014-0019
  • O'Donnell, G. A. (2004). Why the rule of law matters. Journal of Democracy, 15, 32-46. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2004.0076
  • OECD (1995). Governance in transition: public management reforms in OECD countries, Paris, PUMA/OECD. ISBN-13: 978-9264144866
  • OECD/IFAC (2017). Accrual Practices and Reform Experiences in OECD Countries. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264270572-en [Accessed 30.6.2017].
  • Oulasvirta, L. (2014). The reluctance of a developed country to choose International Public Sector Accounting Standards of the IFAC. A critical case study. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 25, 272-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2012.12.001
  • Papenfuß, U., & Schaefer, C. (2010). Improving public accountability by aligning reporting to organizational changes in public service provision. An empirical Internet study of all Austrian, German and Swiss towns and states from an agency-theory perspective. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 76, 555-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852310372451
  • Pindado, J., & Requejo, I. (2015). Panel data: A methodology for model specification and testing. In Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, Vol. 4, Finance. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118785317.weom040013
  • Pollit, C., & Bouckaert, G. (2017). Public Management Reform. A Comparative Analysis -- Into the Age of Austerity. Fourth edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0198795179
  • PwC, (2014). Collection of information related to the potential impact, including costs, of implementing accrual accounting in the public sector and technical analysis of the suitability of individual IPSAS standards - 2013/S 107-182395. Available at: [Accessed 6.2.2018]
  • Roje, G., Vašiček, D., & Vašiček, V. (2010). Accounting regulation and IPSAS implementation: Efforts of transition countries toward IPSAS compliance. Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, 6, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.17265/1548-6583/2010.12.001
  • Sutcliffe, P. (2003). The standards programme of IFAC's public sector committee. Public Money & Management, 23, 29--36. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9302.00338
  • Tagesson, T. (2015). Accounting reforms, standard setting and compliance. In Budding, T., Grossi, G. and Tagesson, T. (eds by), Public Sector Accounting. London, Routdledge (pp. 8-22). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315848389
  • Teorell, J. (2010). Determinants of democratization: Explaining regime change in the world, 1972--2006. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511762727
  • Vanhanen, T. (2003). Democratization: A Comparative Analysis of 170 Countries. Routledge, New York. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203614501
  • Wang, X. (2002). Assessing administrative accountability. American Review of Public Administration, 32, 350--370. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074002032003005
  • Warren, M. (2014). Accountability and democracy. In Bovens, M., Goodin, R. E. & Schillemans, T. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Public Accountability. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199641253.013.0018
  • Wooldridge, J. M. (2010). Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data. Cambridge: The MIT Press. ISBN: 9780262232586