Public Value as Performance: Politicians’ and Managers’ Perspectives on the Importance of Budgetary, Accruals and Non-Financial Information

Purpose
The study contributes to the literature on public value and performance examining politicians’ and managers’ perspectives by investigating the importance they attach to the different facets of performance information (i.e. budgetary, accrual based- and non-financial information (NFI)).

Design/methodology/approach
We survey politicians and managers in all Italian municipalities of at least 80,000 inhabitants.

Findings
Overall, NFI is more appreciated than financial information (FI). Moreover, budgetary accounting is preferred to accrual accounting. Politicians’ and managers’ preferences are generally aligned.

Research limitations/implications
NFI as a measure of public value is not alternative, but rather complementary, to FI. The latter remains a fundamental element of public sector accounting due to its role in resource allocation and control.

Practical implications
The preference for NFI over FI and of budgetary over accruals accounting suggests that the current predominant emphasis on (accrual-based) financial reporting might be misplaced.

Originality/value
Public value and performance are multi-faceted concepts. They can be captured by different types of information and evaluated according to different criteria, which will also depend on the category of stakeholders or users who assesses public performance. So far, most literature has considered the financial and non-financial facets of performance as virtually separate. Similarly, in the practice, financial management tends to be decoupled from non-financial performance management. However, this research shows that only by considering their joint interactions we can achieve an accurate representation of what public value really is.

A contabilidade de gestão nas autarquias locais: o caso do Município de Espinho

Trabalho de Projeto apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria Orientação: Doutora Alcina Augusta de Sena Portugal Dias Coorientação: Doutora Amélia Cristina Ferreira Silva

Accounting for revenue and other financing sources and concepts for reconciling budgetary and financial accounting /

Cover title.

Implementation guide to Statement of federal financial accounting standards no. 7, Accounting for revenue and other financing sources /

"June 1996."

Budget issues : budgetary treatment of federal credit programs : report to the Chairman, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives /

"B-227245"--p.1.

Analysis of DOD's claimed budgetary savings through management reforms : report to the Congress of the United States /

"B-210895."

Addressing the deficit : updating the budgetary implications of selected GAO work : report to the Congress /

"B-272225"--P. 1.

Budgeting, budgetary control and management information in the highways departments

The need for an adequate information system for the Highways Departments in the United Kingdom has been recognised by the report of a committee presented to the Minister of Transport in 1970, (The Marshall Report). This research aims to present a comprehensive information system on a sound theoretical basis which should enable the different levels of management to execute their work adequately. The suggested system presented in this research covers the different functions of the Highways Department, and presents a suggested solution for problems which may occur during the planning and controlling of work in the different locations of the Highways Department. The information system consists of:- 1. A coding system covering the cost units, cost centres and cost elements. 2. Cost accounting records for the cost units and cost centres. 3. A budgeting and budgetary control system covering, the different planning methods and procedures which are required for preparing the capital expenditure budget, the improvement and maintenance operation flexible budgets and programme of work, the plant budget, the administration budget, and the purchasing budget. 4. A reporting system which ensures that the different levels of management are receiving relevant and timely information. 5. The flow of documents which covers the relationship between the prime documents, the cost accounting records, budgets, reports and their relation to the different sections and offices within the department. A comprehensive cost units, cost centres, and cost elements codes together with a number of examples demonstrating the results of the survey, and examples of the application and procedures of the suggested information system have been illustrated separately as appendices. The emphasis is on the information required for internal control by management personnel within the County Council.

Benchmarking introductory accounting curricula : Experience from Australia

Within the context of debate about the state of accounting education in general, introductory accounting subjects have been the target of considerable criticism, particularly in terms of narrow content, technical focus, use of transmissive models of teaching, and inattention to the development of students‟ generic skills. This paper reports on the results of an exploratory study of these issues in introductory accounting and which involved the review of subject outlines and prescribed textbooks, and the conduct of a cross-sectional survey of the introductory accounting teaching coordinators in Australian universities (n=21). The primary aims of the study were to establish and apply benchmarks in evaluating existing curricula with respect to subject orientation, learning objectives, topics, teaching delivery, learning strategies, and assessment. The results of our study suggest that traditional approaches to subject content and delivery continue to dominate, with limited indicators of innovations to enhance the diversity and quality of learning experiences and learning outcomes.