Public Sector Accounting Reforms and Governance
Summary
Public sector accounting reforms have evolved in response to demands for greater transparency, accountability and fiscal sustainability across diverse jurisdictions. Traditional cash-based systems are increasingly being replaced or supplemented by accrual-based frameworks and integrated financial management information systems. Such changes aim to provide more comprehensive insights into public liabilities, assets and performance, thereby strengthening decision-making and oversight. International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) have emerged as a reference point for harmonising accounting practices, particularly in developing economies where pressures for external funding and donor accountability are high. Concurrently, digital transformation and datafication have reshaped the collection, processing and dissemination of financial information, facilitating real-time reporting and citizen engagement while also introducing new governance challenges. Reforms to audit arrangements, parliamentary scrutiny and popular reporting platforms have sought to rebalance top-down control with bottom-up accountability, although tensions remain between enhancing transparency and preserving professional rigour. Overall, public sector accounting reforms are central to modern governance, influencing trust in institutions, the allocation of resources and the assessment of public value.
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Public Sector Accounting Reforms and Governance publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in public sector accounting reforms and governance across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Accrual accounting: A system recognising financial events when they occur rather than when cash is exchanged.
Datafication: The process of turning social and administrative actions into quantified data for analysis and decision-making.
Digital transformation: The integration of digital technologies into accounting processes to enable real-time reporting, analytics and stakeholder engagement.
IPSAS: International Public Sector Accounting Standards issued to harmonise public sector financial reporting and promote comparability across jurisdictions.
References
- Digitalization, accounting and accountability: A literature review and reflections on future research in public services. Financial Accountability and Management (2021).
- Integrated Financial Management Information Systems: Guidelines for effective implementation by the public sector of South Africa. South African Journal of Information Management (2012).
- Democracy, accountability, accounting and trust: A critical perspective reflecting on a UK Parliamentary inquiry into the role of government accounts. Critical Perspectives on Accounting (2024).
- Dialogic accounting through popular reporting and digital platforms. Meditari Accountancy Research (2021).
- Adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards in emerging economies and low-income countries: a structured literature review. Journal of Public Budgeting Accounting & Financial Management (2021).
- The Effect of IPSAS Adoption on Governance Quality: Evidence from Developing and Developed Countries. Public Organization Review (2022).
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