Financial Accountability and Management 

About: Financial Accountability and Management is an academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Public sector & Accountability. It has an ISSN identifier of 0267-4424. Over the lifetime, 823 publications have been published receiving 26817 citations. The journal is also known as: FAM & Financial accountability and management.

Application of accrual accounting in the Australian public sector - rhetoric or reality?

Abstract: This paper presents a contextual. historical analysis of recent accrual accounting developments in the Australian Public Sector (APS). It takes a critical stance in that it questions the accrual accounting developments on a number of grounds. The paper examines changes in public sector financial management and accountability in four distinct settings, being: accrual financial reporting, accrual management systems, whole of government reporting, and accrual based budgeting. The findings show that already in Australia accrual accounting has made significant encroachments into some areas of annual financial and budget reporting. This influx has meant that terms such as ‘deficit’, ‘debt’, ‘liabilities’, ‘operating results’, ‘assets’, etc. have begun to change in meaning, which it is argued has important implications for the current process of transformation of aspects of the APS.

The npm agenda: back to the future

Abstract: The New Public Management agenda for change has been extremely influential. This paper considers future developments in NPM. In this evaluation of the future of NPM it is argued that the complexity of NPM – in concept and in practice – requires a multi-dimensional consideration of what NPM is and what it will become. In this paper, NPM is explained around three key dimensions: (1) management processes; (2) mechanisms of change, and (3) constraints. Within these three dimensions, nine key elements of NPM implementation are discussed. This paper concludes that the pressures for NPM will not abate. However, its evolution will continue to be severely contested.

Debating Developments in New Public Financial Management: The Limits of Global Theorising and Some New Ways Forward

Abstract: This article provides an overview of the key findings and reflections of a detailed, two year comparative study examining experiences with, and without, New Public Financial Management (NPFM) reforms in eleven different countries. The study highlights the problems of trying to explain such developments through simplistic explanatory variables and emphasises the need for alternative modes of analysis more closely rooted in the different national traditions and values associated with the provision of public services.

Performance Management in the Public Sector: The Ultimate Challenge

Abstract: Performance Management is the challenge confronting public service managers. However, the enduring research focus on performance measurement in public services, without resolution, does not offer neat solutions to performance management in public services. This drawback of measurement difficulties has not abated interest in performance management. But there are significant adverse outcomes associated with the clumsy use of performance management systems in public services, particularly negative effects on staff morale. The lack of ready-made answers to performance management makes this task complex and demanding for public service managers. This paper identifies critical dimensions of effectiveness in performance management systems.